23:01

Allan Clarke. Photograph: NITV Share this Post The small
township of Bourke in far western New South Wales is a small speck
of dust swimming in a vast ocean of ruby red dirt and is home to
the Barkindji people since time immemorial. Every summer a wave of
heat unfurls over the region, coming in from a flat scrub thick
...

22:23

Delightful creature. The failure of those other persons present
when Mr Green suffered his injury to more positively act to assess
his health state could well therefore have contributed to his
death. Record of Investigation into Death Coroners Act 1995
Coroners Regulations 1996 Regulation 14 Form 4 I, Stephen
Raymond...

22:00

Its easier to turn technology in the direction of democracy
and social justice when its developed with social and emotional
intelligence..

One key element of the answer to that question is
to generate a digital identity that is not under the control of a
corporation, an organization or a government.

I have been co-leading the community surrounding
the Internet
Identity Workshop for the last 12 years. After many
explorations of the techno-possibility landscape we have finally
made some breakthroughs that will lay the foundations of a real
internet-scale infrastructure to support what are called
user-centric or self-sovereign
identities.

21:59

The late North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il (in puppet
form). (Photo: Screenshot from Team America: World Police)

WARNING: This article discusses an R-Rated satire
movie with crude sexual themes, violence, racism etc. If you are
easily offended, please do not read this article.

This weeks news is almost identical to the plot of the 2004
smash hit movie Team America: World Police, made by the
creators of South Park.

Dont believe me?

North Koreas program ofweapons of mass
destructionpose a threat to the lives
of millions of people, not to mention the stability of the fragile
international order. There is strong evidence they are cooperating
withIslamist extremists
in Iranto secure nuclear weapons
capabilities for both countries. Left-wing activist movements with
a strong media presence urge restraint and negotiations and
blameAmerican
aggressionfor the crisis. An effete
and ineffectual United Nationsmeddles and
hand-wrings, but ultimately does
nothing. Meanwhile erstwhile allies look on askance at what they
see as Americas crass, boorish, cowboy approach, lamenting that
force alone cannot solve geopolitical problems. Many are asking
if ...

19:30

Countless concerned individuals are still searching for answers
surrounding the mysterious death of the 35th president of the
United States, John F. Kennedy. The official narrative, that a lone
former Marine named Harvey Oswald assassinated him, is widely
disputed. All available documents from all government entities are
required by the Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act

19:18

But Tanya Plibersek sees apathy as the biggest threat to the yes
campaign.

Ive been nervous the whole
way, she told ABCs Insiders. I think its going to be very
interesting to see the level of turnout.

I think that the biggest threat to the yes campaigns success is
people assuming that this is in the bag because they know that a
majority of Australians support marriage equality and they think
well, my vote wont matter, you know, everybody else will post back
their yes vote.

The Guardian article below

The pro-gay marriage crowd in Australia keep saying that the
majority of Australians support same-sex marriage but theres no
solid evidence of this. Its just liberal pro gay marriage spin.

Christians should help the No vote by not being apathetic, not
believing gay and liberal propaganda about the result, and tick the
NO box on their ballot form and pop it in the post.

The Guardian

Tanya Plibersek nervous no vote could
win marriage equality campaign

Deputy Labor leader says greatest threat to same-sex marriage is
apathy, while rejecting claims the worst behaviour has come from
the yes side

*This is my first post in my Real Life Ideas area and I wanted
to share this as an idea because what I experienced on over the
last month really made me think about different types of activism,
what the word really means and how we can connect to the planet in
a spiritual way while involving ourselves in activism and
campaigning. I also truly hope that the idea of a nuclear free
world is one that will spread throughout the world before more
beautiful beings are harmed by its dangers.

We sit, encircling a big, warm camp fire, enthralled by the
entertaining Uncle Geoffrey Stokes, Wongatha elder as he tells us
story after story from his vast deposit of life experiences. We
gaze up to the starriest sky wed ever seen as he and Hannah and
Zakquisha, Tjiwarl children from this land point out where the
giant dark emu lies within the milky river above our heads and tell
us t...

18:34

The eyes of the world are on Myanmars shocking
brutalisation and slaughter of a Muslim minority. Alister
McKeith reports from Kuala Lumpur.

The Permanent Peoples Tribunal has ruled the current Rohingya
crisis as unequivocally genocide, denouncing the United Nations use
of the term ethnic cleansing as a euphemism with no basis in
international law.

After a week-long hearing at the University of Malaya, Judge
Daniel Feierstein stated that the Myanmar Government was guilty of
war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The Tribunal also affirmed that the election of Aung San Suu
Kyis National League for Democracy had only brought about an
acceleration of human rights abuses, and in an attempt to turn
Myanmar into a supreme Buddhist entity.

Throughout the week, expert witnesses and victims of human
rights abuses testified to the Peoples Tribunal, which began a
grass-roots initiative in 1979 to denounce crimes of Latin American
dictators.

The Tribunal heard that ongoing human rights abuses have been
committed not only against the Rohingya, but also other ethnic and
religious minorities, including the Kachin and other Muslim
groups.

Testimonies included harrowing eyewitness accounts of mass rape
of Rohingya women and the systemic slaughter of Rohingya men and
boys. This included the massacre at Tula Toli, a Rohingyan village
near the border of Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Myanamar has been directly accused of genocide against
the Rohingya population within its borders. Pictured is a visiting
delegation To Rakhine from the European Commission, in 2013.
Rakhine says ECHO DG
(IMAGE: Christophe Reltien, EU/ECHO, Rakhine State, Flickr)

Razia Sultana, a Rohingyan lawyer based in Chittagong, showed
video interviews conducted with women from Tula Toli. In one, a
Rohingyan woman tearfully described the massacre, explaining that
the villagers were told by authorities not to leave Tula...

17:43

By RICHARD SMOLEY

Around Christmas of 1992, a man named Gary Renard, living in the
remote backwoods of Maine in the northeastern corner of the US,
came out of a meditation to find two stylish, good-looking people,
a man and a woman apparently in their thirties, sitting on his
couch. He had never seen them before and had no idea of where they
had come from.

There was nothing threatening about them, Renard would later
recall; in fact, they looked extraordinary peaceful, which I found
reassuring. Looking back on the event I would wonder why I had not
been more fearful, given that these very solid-looking people had
apparently manifested out of nowhere. Still, this first appearance
by my soon-to-be friends was so surreal that fear somehow didnt
seem appropriate.

The man and woman called themselves Arten and Pursah. They said
they were ascended masters who had come to teach Renard some
lessons about life, the universe, and Jesus Christ.

So began a strange series of episodes that would continue off
and on for the next nine years and would culminate in Renards first
book, TheDisappearance of the Universe,
published in 2003. The story would grow stranger. Arten and Pursah
soon identified themselves as later incarnations of the two
disciples of Jesus that we know as Thaddeus and Thomas
respectively. They began to tell Renard about the true nature of
the teaching of Jesus, whom they call J.

The portrait of J and his times as drawn by Arten and Pursah
will be more or less familiar to readers who have some familiarity
with the historical Jesus as unveiled by scholarship over the past
200 years. The Gospels were not written by Jesus disciples or
indeed by anyone who knew him personally (the one exception, Arten
and Pursah say, is Mark, who met the master as a small child). The
Gospels, composed some forty to eighty years after Jesus time,
contained some authentic sayings and deeds of his as well as many
admixtures and alterations to suit the developing Christian
theology. Dont you find it a little strange that not one
complete original copy of Js own words in his own language
survived the rise of Christianity? Pursah
asks.1 Do you really think
that was an accident?

Pursah is of...

17:43

By GWENDOLYN TAUNTON

One of the most well-known cultural imports from India that has
exerted an influence on Western thought is that of the Kali
Yuga. This topic has been particularly dwelt upon by the
Perennialist School, which includes authors such as Ren Gunon and
Alain Danilou. The reason for the popularity of this subject in the
West is two-fold: Firstly, the Kali Yuga can be used to explain a
number of political, economic, and environmental problems which
currently face humanity. Secondly, the Kali Yuga and whole concept
of cyclic time is not entirely foreign. The theory of time as
non-linear and not always progressive is a very ancient one, rooted
in our own past. A similar cycle of Ages is present in Greek
history, notably within the works of Hesiod, where he speaks of a
fall from a Golden Age towards an apex of decline in the Iron Age.
This cycle is also found in the Volusp of the Poetic
Edda which outlines Ragnark and a Wolf Age (the
equivalent of the Kali Yuga/Iron Age).

The four Yugas (Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali) have two
standards of measurement, the chronological and the ethical. The
chronological approach is based on astronomical positions and
mathematical calculations. The stars and planetary positions have
long been thought of as capable of influencing human behaviour via
astrology, so from this viewpoint the cosmos itself would be the
cause of the Yugas. Joscelyn Godwin brings the astronomical
perspective to the fore when he states that one of the recurrent
themes of the Golden Age is that during it the earths axis was
perpendicular to the ecliptic If this were so there would be no
seasons, but equal day and night throughout the year.1
The influence on time would therefore be direct and visible. The
symbolism used to portray the Golden Age often implies an
alteration to time, as major planetary conjunctions are said to
occur at the end of the Kali Yuga and they are permanent
conjunctions, which strongly implies time itself ceases.

However, the majority of issues which arise in the Kali Yuga can
also be attributed to a decline in human morality and ethics, so
many of the problems could be entirely man-made. The imagery of
time, the ultimate horror for all sapient life, could simply have
been added as a metaphor for a more psychologically healthy state,
wherein man no longer feels enslaved by others from the cradle to
the grave, enjoying the spontaneous nature of life in a seem...

17:43

By ANDREW PHILLIP SMITH

Most forms of spirituality or religion look back to the past in
some way. The past is a source of origin, tradition, revelation,
and inspiration. For the medieval Cathars the most distant past
was, as it is for most religions, the time in which the mythic
foundation of the world was established. More recent developments,
such as the coming of Jesus, brought the story forward to a new
chapter. The Cathars believed that their initiation rite, the
consolamentum, was the result of an unbroken tradition
stretching back to Jesus himself.

Aspiring modern Cathars look back to the myths of the original
spiritual realm, the fall of Satan and the angels, and the creation
of the material world in which souls reincarnate until they can
escape. They also look back to the historical groups and
individuals who were involved with the development of this
worldview in the first place. Modern esoteric lineages typically
derive not from antiquity but from revivals that occurred in the
eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Thus when exploring
movements like the Gnostics of antiquity or the Cathars of the
Middle Ages, the modern spiritual seeker is often presented with a
melange of spiritually-unsympathetic popular history, obtuse
scholarly research, and a revivalist esoteric tradition that often
has little to do with critical history.

The Cathars are best known not for what they did but for what
was done to them. The Albigensian Crusade, launched in 1209 on the
authority of Pope Innocent III, laid waste to the Languedoc in the
south of France. The Inquisition was subsequently founded to root
out and eradicate what remained of the Cathar heresy. Books on the
Cathars focus on the relentless march of the crusading army as it
moves from castle to castle, siege to siege, atrocity to atrocity.
Or historians weigh up the influence of the Inquisition, a ruthless
bureaucracy that survived into the nineteenth century. Tourists
visit the Languedoc, now branded as Cathar country, for the
fairytale citadel of Carcassonne, restored in the nineteenth
century, for the wild ruins of medieval castles on challenging
hilltops, and for the relaxed locals, good weather, cheap food and
wine.

The reader of a history of the Cathars encounters a list of
atrocities so numbingly extensive she is at risk of experiencing
compassion fatigue. After the crusaders ended the siege of the city
of Bram, 99 men had their noses and upper lips cut off, were
blinded, and were...

17:42

By RICHARD SMOLEY

The figure seems to hover around 95 percent. Thats the
proportion of the universe that consists of dark matter and dark
energy entities that are only dimly and indirectly perceived by
scientific apparatus.

This fact has gotten wide attention lately, but one implication
has gone unnoticed: if this is the case for the physical universe,
it must also be the case for our own bodies. Therefore 95 percent
of your body is made up of matter and energy about which nearly
nothing is known.

This makes the ancient dictum Know thyself somewhat harder to
satisfy than one might have thought.

What, then, is the body made of? It is a question that
conventional thought cannot answer and for the most part cannot
contemplate. This leads us to consider views of the body in the
worlds esoteric traditions. As in most areas, they dont agree on
all points, but the similarities are more striking than the
differences.

The first thing we have to acknowledge is that the body, taken
as a purely physical entity, has no structure or coherence
whatsoever. This is a strange claim to make, but we can see the
truth of it simply by contemplating the difference between a living
body and a corpse. The living body has coherence; it is capable of
motion and activity, and can sustain itself for several decades.
The corpse lacks all such features. It will rot to pieces in a very
short time.

There must, then, be an organising structure that holds the
physical body together during earthly life. One common name for
this, which comes out of early twentieth-century Theosophy, is the
etheric body, sometimes known as the etheric
double. (I will be mostly using Theosophical terms in this
article not because they are necessarily any better, but because
they are the most commonly used ones in New Age contexts.)

Thus, for our discussion, we have to redefine the word
body. From an esoteric point of view, a body can be
described as a vehicle for structuring experience at a
particular level of existence.

So what is this etheric body? Here is a firsthand observation.
The American writer Rosanne Daryl Thomas describes the death of her
cat:

He was leaving us. I held him. He pushed his head
under my arm, purring as I stroked him and spoke softly, wanting to
fill him with love. And then suddenly his face grew sharper and
thinner. Hi...

17:39

17:14

Source:
Dinar ChroniclesWell, another Saturday
night is upon us is it coming and going? At this point we don't
know.There was no Church
Bank call tonight because we were asked not to go on the
air.There is no advanced
intel tonight because we were asked to put any out. Especially
about Trump, Mueller, North Korea, Israel or Kurdistan.There is however USN
replacing USD that we can assure everyone happened as of 12:01am
EDT. Hallelujah!As such, we're waiting
to release the website until we know when the RV release will be
forthcoming.We're just not sure
how or when they're going to roll it out today, Sunday.The RV could come
literally at any second Sunday. Anytime.That is the problem,
we have several windows to choose from. Who knows which one is
accurate.And since we're in
truth a post RV website at heart, it only makes sense for us to
wait a little longer and aspire to release the Human Angel Services
post RV www.humanangelservices.com.We currently have
55,000 sign ups and will be over 60,000 at this rate before October
1, 2017. Again, thank you for your overwhelming support in rounding
up all the Human Angels. It's truly been a humbling experience for
Showme and I to watch all of you Human Angels answer the Clarion
Call.Amazing.We thought we have
another week just to put everything....

17:12

Tribal Elder beat and tased by South
Dakota law enforcement. Photos from Facebook

Commentary

Published September 24, 2017

A week ago, late Saturday night, 64-year-old Yankton Sioux
tribal elder
Raymond Cournoyer, Sr. received word his mother was going to
make her journey to the spirit world. As any concerned and loving
son would do, he attempted to rush to her deathbed at the Good
Samaritan Center in Wagner, South Dakota.

Sadly, he never made it to her side before she walked on.

Unfortunately, for this tribal elder, he was driving while
American Indian, in Wagner. Apparently, too fast. Upon arrival at
the Good Samaritan Center, he was approached by two police officers
who had followed him into the parking lot of the nursing home. He
tried to explain his sense of urgency to get to his mothers side.
He proceeded to walk towards the entry to the nursing home to be
with his mother. The officers told him to stop. He said told them:
No.

The two officers involvedone a Wagner Police officer and the
other a member of the South Dakota Highway Patrolapparently did not
believe Cournoyers story. One of the officers proceeded to slam
Cournoyer to the ground, while the other opened fire on him with a
taser gun. He was immediately handcuffed.

Some 45 minutes went by as the officers detained the tribal
elderall the while his mother passed away inside the nursing homeso
the Wagner Police chief could arrive to figure how to charge
Cournoyer.

Photographs of the tased tribal elder were posted by his
daughter on social media. The disturbing photographs showed
numerous places on Cournoyers body where he was injured by the
taser gun and the excessive force of the officers.

As do other Americans who read about the national epidemic of
police brutality, I often try to give the law enforcement officers
the benefit. However, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to
do so. I know American Indians, on a per capita basis, are
more likely to die as the result of law enforcemen...

ADA, OKLAHOMA The Chickasaw Nation will host a
community stomp dance Sept. 29 at Kullihoma to kick off the 57th
Chickasaw Annual Meeting and 29th Festival. The celebration begins
at 7 p.m.

Festivities will continue throughout the week at various
locations throughout the Chickasaw Nation culminating with Gov.
Bill Anoatubbys annual State of the Nation address. It will be held
9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at Fletcher Auditorium on the Murray State
College campus.

Visitors may also enjoy a social stickball game at Kullihoma
Sept. 29. Stickball has been played by Native Americans for
centuries and is the forerunner of lacrosse.

Stomp dances are open to the public and include traditional song
and dance, food and fellowship amid the natural and historic beauty
of Kullihoma.

Stomp dancing has deep roots in the Chickasaw culture.

LaDonna Brown, director of research and cultural interpretation
for the Chickasaw Nation, explained dances were often connected
with spiritual, ritual, ceremonial or social events, such as a
spring harvest celebration or fall festival.

There are still different dances for various occasions. The
Chickasaws remember dances for their spiritual nature, yet they
have become predominantly social in modern times. No matter the
type of dancing, it is always an opportunity to come together as a
community and guest participation is welcome and encouraged.

Men sing stomp dance songs in a call-and-answer format,
following a male song leader, who often sets the dance rhythm using
a handheld turtle shell shaker.

Women enhance the rhythms with shakers worn on their legs. These
shakers are often made of turtle shells or deer hooves. As
traditional box turtles are endangered, women fill milk cans with
river stone to mimic the rhythms produced by authentic turtle shell
shakers.

Social dances often have animal-themed names, like the snake
dance and the raccoon dance. Each social dance has a fun and unique
technique.

13:31

Published on Sep 20,
2017This video details the
whole process of crossing into the next life, from the journey
home, to adapting to new living conditions in the afterlife, and
even delving into what kinds of activities will be available there,
and how we can be prepared for our own personal journey.What happens when
someone dies? What does it feel like? What exactly is the light at
the end of the tunnel? Is reincarnation real? And if so, do spirits
have any influence over their lives to come? Based on his own
amazing experiences communicating with those who have passed over,
Barry Eaton answers these questions about the spirit world, and
many, many more. Taking the reader on a journey through the realm
of the spirit.

13:11

[Editors Note: Below are two extracts from Greg Mayburys
in-depth article on his website here]

By Greg Maybury

Germanys unforgivable crime before the second
world war was her attempt to extricate her economic power from the
worlds trading system and to create her own exchange mechanism
which would deny world finance its opportunity to profit.
Winston Churchill to Lord Robert Boothby, quoted in the
Foreword, Propaganda in the Next War
(2/e),...

12:47

Columbus, Ohio cops have held true to their tradition of
brutality and unethical tactics in the case of Timothy Davis.

Daviss mother believes video released by the Franklin County
Sheriffs Office Tuesday proves her son was so badly beaten by
Columbus Police that he was unconscious and couldnt even walk.

Davis case gained national attention after cell phone video
showed him being stripped and viciously attacked by a gang of cops
on September 1st:

The jail video, provided by NBC4i, shows Davis being carried into the
Franklin County Jail by law-enforcement by his hands and feet. In
the video, Davis has been stripped of his clothes with only his
boxers partially on.

Davis mother, Valerie Johnson, was clearly upset after
seeing the video which shows police treating her son like an
animal.

I wouldnt even, thats like an animal, this is like an animal.
This is not like my son. This is not a human being, said
Johnson.

He was so badly beaten that my child couldnt even walk. Look at
this video. My son naked, my son carried in face down. My son was
unconscious. My son told me when he woke up he was laying in there
naked in the cell, said Johnson.

The Franklin County Sheriffs office told NBC4 it was working to
get answers about why Davis was carried into the jail to be booked.
Columbus Police did not respond to NBC4is inquiry about the new
video.

The Franklin County Sheriffs Office alleges Davis was never
denied medical care. He spent three days in the hospital after the
brutal beating by police, and has been seen multiple times by jail
medical staff since he was booked on September 1st.
...

12:36

Sustainability/sustainable means
lasting for a long time, or, the ability to make something
last for a long time.

If in our preparations for survival we
are considering that we may need to live long term in a wilderness
situation, then we need to make sure our equipment is sustainable.
We also need to make sure that the lifestyle we have chosen is
sustainable. In other words, if our equipment is not sustainable,
then neither is our lifestyle.

If one has not had the experience,
then at least most people can use their imagination to help them
see & understand. For instance; lets say our country is
attacked & the enemy uses an EMP to knock out the electricity
grid. What will this mean for those living in towns & cities?
It will mean that there will be no electricity, no water, no sewage
control so no toilets. We all know what else will happen dont we,
looting, supermarkets will be raided for all the food. Chemists
looted, gun shops looted, Medical facilities will be hampered. Some
people will want what you have, so it will not be safe for you to
cook outside or in fact to go outside at all. Your house could be
raided, if you manage to repulse an attack, then the attackers may
well fire your house or drive a Mack truck through it. Does this
make any sense to you?

Now you may say that you must bug in
because you simply would not know how to survive in the bush. Well
my reply to that is, learn. Get the skills you will need & go
bush & get some experience before the shtf....

11:36

Personal and Global Attacks Become Lethal:
Is the Disclosure War Reaching a Climax? [Part I]by David
WilcockSeptember 23, 2017, 12:12 pmUnprecedented solar
emissions. Huge wildfires smoking out the US. Massive earthquakes.
Three different monster hurricanes that steered perfectly into
Houston, Florida and Puerto Rico.Damages to the already
fragile US economy could easily exceed 1 trillion dollars -- at a
time when there is nothing left to restore it with.Within the UFO /
Seeking Truth community, we saw the tragic deaths of Jim Marrs and
William Tompkins -- as well as the possible attempted murders of
Graham Hancock and David Wilcock, as we will discuss in Part
Two.David's insider 'Paul'
had everything he owned stolen from him, as well as serious death
threats. Pete Peterson's house has now been emptied to the bare
walls and his trailers, packed with priceless classified items, are
under imminent threat.A massive, coordinated
online attack against Corey Goode, including the destruction of his
business and the expected loss of his children, was intended to
lead to a fake, staged 'suicide', made believable by his overall
anticipated collapse.This all occurred
shortly after Ancient Aliens, a top History Channel show, featured
Corey Goode and William Tompkins' Secret Space Program testimony in
an
episode entitled "The Majestic Twelve", which aired on July 7,
2017.So much has happened
since our last
update a month ago that it is difficult to summarize
everything. Are these events interconnected? The answer definitely
appears to be yes.Since I am still on
vacation, we will break this up into two di...

10:30

Theres an old USENET dictum: never underestimate the bandwidth
of a station wagon full of magnetic tapes. (corollary: yeah, but
the latencys killer)

What do you do when you need to move a whole lot of data into
the cloud? Lets say a petabyte? (a million gigabytes) Assuming you
can get 50% saturation out of a gigabit link thats about 500 years
transfer-time. And, if youre like me and you live in Verizons
metered LTE cloud, where every gigabyte over 30gb costs $15, itd
cost a bit less than $1 million. This is a real question, though,
for organizations that are moving video archives (think: all the
cop-camera footage in a major city) (heh, Im kidding, major cities
dont keep that stuff!) or libraries, or genomic databases;
what do they do?

Amazon has an answer! Its a truckload of tapes! Things start
small with the Snowball appliance an armored box for data. Its
pretty cool: you set it up on your network, copy your data to it,
you ship it to amazon and they offload it into S3, and your data is
in the cloud!

In the Snowball appliance, the truck is FEDex or UPS, or maybe
your system administrator has to drive it somewhere in the back of
their car. I have scary memories of when I was a young pup at
Digital and our RA-81s moved from one facility to another in the
back of my little Honda CRX. Nowadays most people dont even
understand I put a VAX 11/750 rack in the back of a Honda CRX and
recognize that for the herculean feat it was. I also dropped a
VR/219 monitor down a flight of stairs in the process; it
survived.

If the armored box of hard drives doesnt work for you, theres
the Snowmobile:

Amazon snowmobile 40,000lbs of lock
in

The Snowmobile is what youd use if you had an Exabyte of data:
its a small convoy of semitrailers full of hard drives. I wonder
whether the NSA had an armed midnight run from Ft Meade, MD to the
new data center in Utah, or were they just cross-syncing the data
all along? Theres a cool plot in there for a cyberpunk adventure:
someone thinks theyre about to knock over a truck full of iPhones
but accidentally they get a petabyte of CIA data; hilarity and
body-count ensue.

07:32

The state government has yet to confirm if Pakatan Harapan
chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would be allowed into Sarawak
today. The former prime minister is expected to speak during the
opposition alliances event here tonight. Chief Minister Datuk
Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg did not give a clear cut answer on
whether the former []

05:41

The former intelligence chief never actually refuted Obama
administration spying on Trump. It would be peculiar if, as he now
claims, James Clapper did not know about the Obama administration's
monitoring of Paul Manafort. At the time, which appears to have
been the autumn of 2016, Clapper was Obama's national intelligence
director. The (dubious) raison d'tre of the Office of the Director
of National Intelligence (ODNI) - a post-9/11 layering of yet more
bureaucracy atop bureaucratic sprawl - was to ensure efficient
information flow through the "community" of U.S. intelligence
agencies. That said, it is a gross exaggeration to contend, as some
are doing, that new revelations about the surveillance of Manafort,
the former chairman of the Trump campaign, show that Clapper lied
in a March 2017 interview by NBC's Chuck Todd. Instead, what we now
know proves what I warned at the time of the interview: It was a
mistake to construe Clapper's answers to Todd as a blanket denial
of Obama spying on the Trump campaign. Carefully parsed, Clapper's
comments left open the possibility - which some of us regarded as a
high probability - that Manafort and other Trump associates had
been under Obama-administration surveillance.

The former intelligence chief never actually refuted Obama
administration spying on Trump. It would be peculiar if, as he now
claims, James Clapper did not know about the Obama administration's
monitoring of Paul Manafort. At the time, which appears to have
been the autumn of 2016, Clapper was Obama's national intelligence
director. The (dubious) raison d'tre of the Office of the Director
of National Intelligence (ODNI) - a post-9/11 layering of yet more
bureaucracy atop bureaucratic sprawl - was to ensure efficient
information flow through the "community" of U.S. intelligence
agencies. That said, it is a gross exaggeration to contend, as some
are doing, that new revelations about the surveillance of Manafort,
the former chairman of the Trump campaign, show that Clapper lied
in a March 2017 interview by NBC's Chuck Todd. Instead, what we now
know proves what I warned at the time of the interview: It was a
mistake to construe Clapper's answers to Todd as a blanket denial
of Obama spying on the Trump campaign. Carefully parsed, Clapper's
comments left open the possibility - which some of us regarded as a
high probability - that Manafort and other Trump associates had
been under Obama-administration surveillance.

05:33

We dont need a war with
Iran because Israel wants one and some rich and powerful American
Jews are happy to deliver. Seriously, we dont need
it.

I spoke
recently at a conference on Americas war party where afterwards an
elderly gentleman came up to me and asked,

Why doesnt
anyone ever speak honestly about the six-hundred-pound gorilla in
the room? Nobody has mentioned Israel in this conference and we all
know its American Jews with all their money and power who are
supporting every war in the Middle East for Netanyahu? Shouldnt we
start calling them out and not letting them get away with
it?

It was a
question combined with a comment that I have heard many times
before and my answer is always the same: any organization that
aspires to be heard on foreign policy knows that to touch the live
wire of Israel and American Jews guarantees a quick trip to
obscurity.

Jewish groups and deep
pocket individual donors not only control the politicians, they own
and run the media and entertainment industries, meaning that no one
will hear about or from the offending party ever again. They are
particularly sensitive on the issue of so-called dual loyalty,
particularly as the expression itself is a bit of a sham since it
is pretty clear that some of them only have real loyalty to
Israel.

Most
recently, some pundits, including myself, have been
warning of an impending war with Iran. To be
sure, the urging to strike Iran comes from many quarters, to
include generals in the Administration who always think first in
terms of settling problems through force, from a Saudi government
obsessed with fear...

05:02

What is the longest straight line on Earth you can walk without
getting your feet wet in a lake, sea or ocean? Someone has finally
produced an answer to that question and heres the map that shows
you how to go. Start in Shitangzhen, a Chinese coastal city just
south of Shanghai. March inland, []

04:57

The dismissal of an unwilling Chuck Hagel as Secretary of
Defense in 2014 was, I think, a watershed in the fortunes of the
China hawks, both in the Pentagon and at Pacific Command. Perhaps
because it is bad form to explore the possibility that Hagel was
purged for insufficient enthusiasm for a pro-active China
confrontation agenda, nobody went there. But I did. Natch. In 2015,
I buried my analysis in a tediously long piece that was meant to
give an overview of the evolution of US China policy, and provide a
corrective to the "Chinese aggression" meme that China hawks like
to lean on. The narrative of escalating Chinese aggression is
central to the China hawks' thesis that we need an escalating
response. Rather interestingly, today a lot of this narrative is
coming out of Australia. Google "Chinese influence Australia" and
you'll get an idea of the barrage of local and global coverage
keying on the skillfully shaped message that Chinese
influence--though it is not illegal--must be feared. I've recently
come to the conclusion that spate of panic stricken reports
emerging from Australia concerning the China menace in economics,
politics, and academics are a belated and improvised substitute for
what was supposed to be the real deal: a pivot from Obama
namby-pambyism to steely Clinton resolve to confront China in
2016.

The dismissal of an unwilling Chuck Hagel as Secretary of
Defense in 2014 was, I think, a watershed in the fortunes of the
China hawks, both in the Pentagon and at Pacific Command. Perhaps
because it is bad form to explore the possibility that Hagel was
purged for insufficient enthusiasm for a pro-active China
confrontation agenda, nobody went there. But I did. Natch. In 2015,
I buried my analysis in a tediously long piece that was meant to
give an overview of the evolution of US China policy, and provide a
corrective to the "Chinese aggression" meme that China hawks like
to lean on. The narrative of escalating Chinese aggression is
central to the China hawks' thesis that we need an escalating
response. Rather interestingly, today a lot of this narrative is
coming out of Australia. Google "Chinese influence Australia" and
you'll get an idea of the barrage of local and global coverage
keying on the skillfully shaped message that Chinese
influence--though it is not illegal--must be feared. I've recently
come to the conclusion that spate of panic stricken reports
emerging from Australia concerning the China menace in economics,
politics, and academics are a belated and improvised substitute for
what was supposed to be the real deal: a pivot from Obama
namby-pambyism to steely Clinton resolve to confront China in
2016.

04:44

Holiday plans are in limbo for thousands of Australians after
the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a new travel
warning for Bali because of fears of a volcano eruption on the
popular tourist island. Indonesian authorities have raised the
alert level for the Mount Agung volcano to the highest
classification, meaning an eruption could be imminent. On Saturday,
the Indonesian Department of Meteorology, Climate and Geophysics
said there had been five small eruptions detected coming from the
mountain, and an ash column as high as 1000 metres had been
observed. There had been a "tremendous increase" in volcano
activity. They said locals and tourists should be 12 kilometres
away from the crater in some areas.

Holiday plans are in limbo for thousands of Australians after
the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a new travel
warning for Bali because of fears of a volcano eruption on the
popular tourist island. Indonesian authorities have raised the
alert level for the Mount Agung volcano to the highest
classification, meaning an eruption could be imminent. On Saturday,
the Indonesian Department of Meteorology, Climate and Geophysics
said there had been five small eruptions detected coming from the
mountain, and an ash column as high as 1000 metres had been
observed. There had been a "tremendous increase" in volcano
activity. They said locals and tourists should be 12 kilometres
away from the crater in some areas.

04:18

It was disappointingly political and
hard-news-focused, with lots on Mrs May's speech and Moody's
downgrading and Rohingyas and Uber and capitalism and universities
and undocumented migrants.

There wasn't a single science story on it and the
only arts bit was James Naughtie interviewing a children's
author.

There was, however, the new Nature Notes section -
something I wholly approve of.

Today's Nature Notes featured Charles Smith Jones
of the British Deer Society answering elementary-level questions
from Mishal Husain that any Autumnwatch viewer would have
been able to answer. Still, Mr Smith Jones volunteered the
interesting fact that some stags are known to travel up to 50
kilometres to join in the rut. (After Brexit can we go back to
miles please?)

Plus the programme ended with Simon Jenkins and Mr
Bruce the Station Master plugging Simon's new book on English
railway stations. I liked that. (And I like Simon's highly
judgemental books on buildings). Near to me is Carnforth
Station where Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson shared a Brief
Encounter to the strains of Rachmaninov. The ticking clock is
still there,
and it's usually working.

02:55

Oh, Jim Bakker is going a bit nuts with his yuck in a bucket,
insisting that everyone buy, and that all those filthy rich people,
well, they should buy a million dollars worth, really! Why? Because
end times, thats why, and money will be useless. Of course, ol Jim
still seems to want piles of that useless stuff.

Guest John Shorey told viewers to stock up on Bakkers food
buckets and not to worry about running out because God will
miraculously refill them as needed.

When you empty a bucket of food, Shorey said, trust God to
refill it.

Thats right nifty. Pity Jehovah cant see fit to just provide
food directly, without the need to pour money into Bakkers pockets.
Im sure they are counting on the rubes not giving this any thought,
nor the fact that when the food bucket is empty, it will most
certainly stay that way. I will admit, its hard to imagine one of
them getting emptied in the first place.

When Shorey told those who have the means to buy 100 buckets of
food to buy 100 buckets of food and give them to local churches,
Bakker chimed in to urge millionaires to buy as much food as they
can afford.

Do a million dollars worth of food, Im serious, Bakker said. If
theyre rich, their money is going [away] anyway, John. Its not
going to be worth anything. The crash is coming, so why not sow it
into the Lord?

Shorey agreed, adding that those who dont use all their money to
buy as much food as they can will have to answer to God.

Right, money is going to be absolutely useless, so why in the
name of your psychogod arent you giving the stuff away? Wouldnt
that be the godly thing to do? Oh, theres a tonne of irony comin
up, folks

The Bible says that our riches will be a witness against us,
Shorey said. When the time comes that youve left money in the bank
that could have been used to help people, to help feed people and
all you did is you just kept all your riches for yourself, it will
be a witness against you. You will stand before God and he will
say, Why didnt you do more to help the needy?

02:01

A week has passed since the terrorist attack on Parsons Green
tube station in West London, but police have offered few definitive
answers at this stage. RT rounds up what we know so far. Although
no one was killed in the blast, 30 commuters were injured when an
improvised explosive device (IED), planted towards the rear of a
District Line train, partially detonated during morning rush hour.
The official terrorism threat level in the UK has returned to
'severe', meaning an attack is highly likely, but no longer
imminent, having been raised to 'critical' in the aftermath of the
blast. Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) claimed
responsibility for the bombing via its Amaq news agency. As
Londoners try to return to life as normal, RT sums up everything we
know so far about the attack and the ongoing police
investigation.

A week has passed since the terrorist attack on Parsons Green
tube station in West London, but police have offered few definitive
answers at this stage. RT rounds up what we know so far. Although
no one was killed in the blast, 30 commuters were injured when an
improvised explosive device (IED), planted towards the rear of a
District Line train, partially detonated during morning rush hour.
The official terrorism threat level in the UK has returned to
'severe', meaning an attack is highly likely, but no longer
imminent, having been raised to 'critical' in the aftermath of the
blast. Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) claimed
responsibility for the bombing via its Amaq news agency. As
Londoners try to return to life as normal, RT sums up everything we
know so far about the attack and the ongoing police
investigation.

01:26

"According to recent polling, if a referendum were
held today Britain would vote to stay in", Anita Anand told us
on Any
Answers today.

And she didn't fail to repeat the point
either.

How much recent polling has shown that or
whether (as I suspect after Googling around) it's actually just
that one
single BMG poll for the Independent (showing 52%
for Remain, 48% for Leave) I can't say for sure but, regardless,
our Anita was certainly making the most of that 'recent polling'
today.

01:06

23.09.17: We had many more people, we sang and we danced and we
laughed and we loved but most of all we told the fascists to get
the fuck out. We did not let them anywhere near the Queer holocaust
remembrance memorial and we created great bonds of solidarity and
friendship. There were some young Queer people who came, and it was
their first rally an they said it was a fantastic experience.

For all of the liberal wah-wah about how we would destabalise
the marriage equality debate, weve actually done nothing of the
sort. Instead we have continued the spirit of queer resistance and
we have given the next generation their first taste of the
struggle.

Today was a big positive for anti-fascists, however it would be
wrong of us not to mention the role of the Liberal Party in laying
the groundworks for the Party for Freedom hate rally today. This is
all a direct consequence of their stupid fucking plebiscite.

Saturday, 23 September

23:50

You can watch me talk about my collection, Exit From The
Matrix, here:

In the long run, most Western and Eastern traditional
metaphysics turn out to be a distraction away from The
Individual. (The Underground, Jon Rappoport)

The night is long, and the search is weird. Clues appear, and
yet they unendingly point to other cluesand what is the real shape
of the expedition? Is it a trap? Do the markers on the road produce
nothing more than a closed circle?

The Outsider is an individual who looks at the complexity of
events in todays world, as he decides WHAT TO DO.

These events can seem to form a labyrinth. Theyre connected in
ways that bind them to each other. One path leads to another, and
eventually, the individual finds himself back where he startedbut
not before going on a long strange trip in the maze.

During that trip, he loses contact with his own deep desires,
because is fascinated and exhausted by the details of the
labyrinth.

An apt analogy would be a treasure map. It promises victory and
triumph, but as the seeker follows the thread, he enters a realm of
cognitive dissonance, a dance in which he seems to be coming closer
and yet moving further from the ultimate prize.

Authors and researchers have offered their interpretations of
the nature of the trip: there are false trails; the mystery of life
will always remain a mystery; the invisible rulers know how to hide
themselves from the seeker

Leaving these conclusions aside, I find that the individuals
true desire can be summarized in the question: WHAT DO I WANT TO
CREATE?

Answering that question, and acting on the answer with full
commitment, energy, determination, and power eventually, casts a
bright light on the maze and reveals its patterns and its
tricks.

In other words, there is a foundation from which the individual
can launch his future, and that foundation is within his graspas
Ive just indicated.

Moving out from that platform, he gains new perspective. He sees
the world in a new way. He stays outside the labyrinth, and he is
able to act on it.

Otherwise, he sinks into it.

What Im talking about here is more than advice. Its a different
slant on metaphysics. Traditionally, metaphysics concocts a picture
of Reality in an ultimate formand a cursory scan of Western
philosophy reveals that every philosopher paints a...

22:31

The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has on two
recent occasions referred to Australia being joined at the hip to
the United States on its defence and national security policies.
That phrasing invited some critical commentary, but conspicuously,
there was no demurral from the official Opposition Labor Party. To
all practical intents and purposes the Liberal National Coalition
and the Labor Party are indistinguishable on matters of defence,
foreign policy and national security.

Turnbulls remarks, as with the election of the
erratic and clearly unfit Donald Trump as US President, should have
presented an opportunity for a critical reappraisal of Australias
position viz a viz the United States. It did not happen, not least
because a supine mainstream media sees no reason to question the
fundamental assumptions underlying Australias defence policies
since at least the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in January
1942.

Prior to that seminal event, Australia had never
challenged its role as a colonial appendage to the British Empire.
That status had led Australia into a series of wars, which in
common with just about every other military misadventure before and
since had only the vaguest connection with Australias national
interest, if any.

Australian troops fought the Russians in the Crimean
War of the 1850s (the rich irony of which is lost in the current
propaganda war waged against Russia for its annexation of Crimea.)
Australian troops were slaughtered in large numbers in World War 1,
a war planned at least since the 1890s to counter any German
challenge to British imperial supremacy (Docherty & Macgregor
Hidden History, 2013)

Although Prime Minister Hughes refused a British
request to formally join British forces fighting in the Russian
civil war 1917-21 against the Bolsheviks, Australian troops
nonetheless joined the North Russia campaign as volunteers. A Royal
Australian Destroyer HMAS Swan also undertook intelligence
operations in the Black Sea in late 1918 directed against the
Bolshevik forces.

With the rout of the British forces in 1941-42 by
the Japanese, it was obvious to Australian politicians that a new
protector was needed, and the Americans required no encouragement
to assume that role. The marriage of convenience that occurred in
1942-45 may have suited Australia in its perception of an imminent
Japanese invasion, but then, as now, the brides dowry should have
be...

21:44

The liberal establishment, with help from Hollywood, is
showering turncoat Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) with praise after
his stunning announcement that he would once again go directly
against his own campaign promise and oppose the Graham-Cassidy
Obamacare repeal bill.

McCain made the announcement in a statement Friday, saying that
he could not in good conscience vote for the repeal of a law
that he ran against during his last campaign.

I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy
proposal. I believe we could do better working together,
Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried, McCain
declared.

Nor could I support it without knowing how much it will cost,
how it will effect insurance premiums, and how many people will be
helped or hurt by it, his statement continued. Without a full
CBO score, which wont be available by the end of the month, we wont
have reliable answers to any of those questions.

After the announcement the liberal media immediately went to
work praising the senator, with multiple news outlets spending
considerable time painting McCain as some sort of hero standing up
to the forces of Trump when in reality he is nothing more than an
establishment puppet working for the very same masters who control
the mainstream press.

Unsurprisingly, numerous Hollywood celebrities also chimed in
with praise for McCain throughout Twitter, with multiple
openly anti-Trump Democrats responding joyfully to the senator once
again turning on not only his party, but the people who voted for
him in the first place.

21:27

By PATRICK HENNINGSEN

By carefully controlling mainstream media and educational
institutions, elite social engineers are able to control the flow
of public discourse in order to serve their own goals and
interests. By doing this, they create something akin to consensus
reality. In other words, by controlling the perception of public
consensus on any particular issue or event, you effectively control
the prevailing reality.

A leading example of this social engineering phenomenon today is
in the relentless promotion of war and global conflict throughout
the media and education systems. Their carefully coordinated
efforts can be boiled down to a simple concept: establishing
legitimation and delegitimation in relation to
the state or state institutions.

In todays formative education, school textbooks and assigned
reading material are powerful tools used to shape students views.
Often what is imprinted in ones memory is not particular details
and facts but rather an atmosphere, an impression, or a
tone.1 It can be argued this impression may be more
influential in forming a pupils contextual world or nationalist
view.

Professor of Education Dr. Michael H. Romanowski, explains: The
authority of textbooks coupled with the objectivity of the
technical knowledge that they communicate encourages students to
accept unquestionably the impressions and worldview created by the
language of textbooks.

Although textbooks claim rhetorically not to promote a
particular understanding of history and to be objective, they
advance a value-laden perspective of reality. Because the selection
and structure of knowledge affect our perception of the world, the
language and context used to articulate knowledge are crucial.
Textbook authors select particular language that creates
impressions in the minds of students. These impressions have power
and authority because they are presented in the printed and bound
textbook with its aura of an authority that is beyond question and
criticism. Although textbooks are used in many different ways, they
are still dominant and powerful educational tools that shape
students views.

In his study Romanowski goes on to describe how through the
careful use of language, US school textbooks depicted Japanese
internment camps in the United States during World War II in a
manner that marginalised Japanese-Americans, while subtly
mitigating any real criticism of the...

20:53

The Berejiklian government has continued on in the Coalitions
tradition over recent years of enacting laws that increase police
powers, whilst whittling away at civil
liberties, all in the name of a perceived terrorist threat.

19:04

Hey mates, Im a 22-year-old woman living in
Australia. I am a student, I work, I explore, I see live music and
go to art shows. I have hobbies and interests, I take photographs,
I draw, I write, I live with a bunch of amazing people in a
beautiful sharehouse in Sydney, and I have sex. I have a lot of
sex.

But heres my conundrum: I also have Herpes. The
strain is HSV-1, which most commonly appears as cold sores, but,
lucky me, the outbreaks happen in my sweet lil nether-regions.

I have told most of my sexual partners, but Ive also
left it out of the conversation for others. This wasnt some
vindictive plot to spread the infection to everyone in the entire
world, and it wasnt because I was ignorant about the topic it was
just something that happened sometimes for one of the following
reasons:

We used a condom; I hadnt had an outbreak in months.

We were both plastered.

The dont ask/dont tell unspoken policy between dead-end
flings.

I was fucking scared, and never saw them again.

To me, these are just general life occurrences that
happen to most sexually-active people from the age of like, 14
until you die. So for anyone sitting on their moral
high-horse right now thinking, Fuck this bitch she needs to
stop being so selfish and be a decent, honest human being,
please try to dismount and listen for the next few hundred
words.

The last two of my reasons are the most problematic
to the spread of what is a very common STI, and I would like to
change that. In order for this to happen, we young people need to
be informed of the facts surrounding Herpes. Im one of those
idealists who actually believes the stigma surrounding this issue
can be changed with honest chit-chat amongst lovers, and after
that, the media will eventually follow suit.

So how did I get Herpes in the first place?

A few years back, I was dating a dude I was madly in
love with, and I just got an itch and a bit of a red uss. It was
only a mild inconvenience at the time, kind of like the symptoms
you get with thrush. When they didnt clear up after using thrush
treatment, I decided to go to the doctor. It was only once I was in
the doctors office that I realised it could be an STI.

I was told that if I had any red bumps, lumps,
lesions or sores, then there was a strong likelihood I had Herpes.
Old mate...

China is transforming
its sources of energy domestically in a bid to reverse decades of
environmental pollution. But the switch to renewable energy has
brought about a conundrum: what to do with the jobs and industries
that have no future in this new system?

17:24

The liberal establishment, with help from Hollywood, is
showering turncoat Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) with praise after
his stunning announcement that he would once again go directly
against his own campaign promise and oppose the Graham-Cassidy
Obamacare repeal bill.

McCain made the announcement in a statement Friday, saying that
he could not in good conscience vote for the repeal of a law
that he ran against during his last campaign.

I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy
proposal. I believe we could do better working together,
Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried, McCain
declared.

Nor could I support it without knowing how much it will cost,
how it will effect insurance premiums, and how many people will be
helped or hurt by it, his statement continued. Without a full
CBO score, which wont be available by the end of the month, we wont
have reliable answers to any of those questions.

After the announcement the liberal media immediately went to
work praising the senator, with multiple news outlets spending
considerable time painting McCain as some sort of hero standing up
to the forces of Trump when in reality he is nothing more than an
establishment puppet working for the very same masters who control
the mainstream press.

Unsurprisingly, numerous Hollywood celebrities also chimed in
with praise for McCain throughout Twitter, with multiple
openly anti-Trump Democrats responding joyfully to the senator once
again turning on not only his party, but the people who voted for
him in the first place.

Some of the more pointed Tweets included:

Bless you @SenetorJohnMcCain
This is 3rd Time Ive Watched You Take The High Road,& Pick The
AmericanPpl
over Politics#StillaHero2Me

17:14

And this is why this divisive figure is incapable of uniting and
leading a country. It's Mal's way or the highway. Vanity Man. Lucy
and I are voting YES because it's fair. Make sure you have your say
too by returning your survey form. pic.twitter.com/6xhaDYC7pQ
Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) September...

16:48

In modern society today there are a lot of
people who arent as nice as they make themselves out to be. You
have to extra careful these days, because it can be very easy to
get taken advantage of.

I dont know whether the world has always been
this way, or if it is a new trait of a new generation,
but we have become a society full of narcissists. They are
literally everywhere and people are stabbing each other in the back
left and right. Nobody has respect for other people and they dont
think about anyone else but themselves. Sound familiar? It probably
does, because chances are youve already dealt with a narcissist. I
know I have and it is no fun.

There are many different
ways to tell if youre dealing with a narcissist, but in my
opinion its the people who make you feel like you cant break your
back enough to please them. While there are many specific methods
of dealing with these types of people, the best approach in any
battle is still knowing the tactics of the enemy and these are the
best kept secrets of a narcissist. They use these four tactics to
control you.

1. Theyll Never Show Appreciation

A narcissistic person will almost never show
gratitude for anything that you do, and if they do its very little.
This is a tactic they use to control you because it subconsciously
makes you want to do more to please them. This automatically
instills them as a number one priority in your brain.

2. They Reel You In

You might think that a narcissist doesnt have
good people skills, but youd be wrong. Narcissistic people are the
best at reading people and really getting to know you from the
inside out. They are able to detect vulnerability and loneliness in
others. They target individuals who are more vulnerable because
they are more easily manipulated. They use your biggest weaknesses
against you.

3. They Isolate...

16:36

While people claim plastic is fine because it is recyclable,
most people dont bother to recycle! Did you know that it takes
plastic around 450 years to decompose. New ways to resolve our
plastic problem are constantly being created and yet we are not
using any of them, why is that?

Last year a a product design student named Ari
Jonsson presented a new biodegradable bottle design at a
festival that should have been a game changer. This water
bottle was to be completely created from red algae powder. Jonsson
decided to come up with this idea after reading about the tons of
plastic waste humans were producing.

Why are we using materials that take hundreds of years
to break down in nature to drink from once and then throw
away?

For this, he began studying the strengths and weaknesses of
different substances, and finally decided that making plastic from
algae was the answer. You see, this is something that can be formed
into a bottle by merely adding water, heat and placing it into a
mold that will be frozen. Once the bottle is emptied it loses its
shape and begins decomposing, you really couldnt ask for much
better.

Jonsson says you could even eat the bottle when you were done
if you wanted to. His design makes bottles waste free and practical
to say the least. Maybe in time, this sort of thing will be used
globally. For more information check out the video below and take a
look at the images of his bottle from beginning to end or drinking
to decomposing. What do you think about this?

15:53

Its hard to believe the weeks are spinning by the way they are.
Its only a week out from close of submissions to the Senate Inquiry
into the Cashless Debit Card Bill and Im up to my neck in code,
creating an open data project using QLD crime & social
statistics. With new trials of cashless income management just
announced in Hervey Bay and Bundaberg and the Inquiry bearing down
on us, I thought it would be useful to take a close look at the
kinds of statistics being used to argue for income management.
Creating a new open data project is a significant undertaking
however I hope to have it up within the coming week, either before
or just after submissions close on Friday 29 September.

Some good news this week is that my submission to speak about
open data and financial transparency at LinuxConf 2018 was accepted
and I also received a bursary to attend the ACOSS conference in a
few weeks in Melbourne. Unfortunately, the bursary only covers the
conference ticket so it remains to be seen whether I can fund the
travel and accommodation to go to Melbourne for the event. If you
would like to support my work, you can become a Patreon Patron. I promise to update my goals as soon
as I find the time.

Stories of people affected by Centrelinks robodebt campaign are
up again according to @not_my_debt, including this
gut-churning announcement that went out during the week.

#robodebt
pushed a friend over the edge last night Another victim of
heartless fucks. I love you S #notmydebt
details in time

In technology news, Andre Obler from Aussie grassroots
organisation, the Online Hate Prevention Institute
spoke to Radio Sputnick about the racist
hate categories plaguing Google & Facebooks advertising
programs, while Theresea May told the United
Nations that social media companies should take down terrorism
posts within 2 hours.

Tell us about your debt and how has this
affected you? e.g. anxiety levels, financial and accommodation
stress:

Anxiety. Totally stressed about the debt. Can't believe this is
happening.

How do you feel about the way the
Government has handled this process?:

Don't think they handle it very well at all.
I can't believe this goes back 2013/14 financial year after
reporting my earnings every fortnight and they are only picking it
up now.
Glad I no longer need to report earn...

14:11

No!

Sithrak is going to fuck everyone up when they die, so it makes
no difference whether they die now, or later. It makes no
difference whether they die in the flames of Planet X slamming into
Earths atmosphere, if they choke to death on a chicken bone, or if
they die of boredom watching re-runs of Friends in their
favorite chair.

How the christians think it will end

Creating an entire extra planet to smack into Earth is way too
much effort for Sithrak.

The christian god is a great big megalomaniacal asshole, over
the top and full of hate for everybeing thats not like him. But
being full of hate requires caring way too
much.

Sithrak is the low-energy god, wholl get you when you die and
not a moment sooner. He doesnt care. If you are reading this after
the 24th, you can rest comfortably knowing the christian god is
probably not real, and that Sithrak still hates you anyway.

PS we couldnt decide whether to post this just before
the day the christians think it will all and, or just
after so we could laugh at them. But we try to be like
Sithrak; either way, it doesnt matter.

I see that other FTBloggers have tried their miserable best to
answer this question, already. I decided to delay posting this
until the very last minute on the 22nd so that, in your
desperate, fearful moments before midnight, you can learn the
truth. Or, if Im wrong and the world ends, you wont have time to
post comments saying Im wrong.

13:28

Sometimes art imitates life, and sometimes life imitates art.
Catherine McGauran is hoping new Australian film Killing
Ground will motivate life, and resolutions.

The outback may just be the most formidable character in
Australian film and literature. More than just scenery or
background, the bush is active in creating or enabling the horror
that plays out in our much-loved Australian gothic stories.

Damien Powers film Killing Ground
is a textbook expression of post-colonial anxiety, grounded in
white Australians fear of the bush. It can go from idyllic
playground to unpredictable captor in seconds.

At first Killing Ground looks like just another foray
into this genre. However, it is Powers overly predictable use of
tropes and cinematic techniques which make the film so terrifying
these familiar structures reinforce our post-colonial story, by
shoving latent fears into our face, with a new level of
ferocity.

Killing Grounds release coincided with the decision of
two Melbourne councils to drop Australia Day ceremonies on January
26.
Yarra City Council made the decision out of respect for
Aboriginal Australians and because of the depth of feeling about
what that day means for so many of our residents. Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull said the move was out of step with national
values, and proceeded to
strip Yarra City Council of its power to hold citizenship
ceremonies.

But is it really out of step? The nature of social media has
brought discussions like this from the fringes and into the
mainstream. As a result non-Aboriginal Australians are learning
more about our disturbing history, which is at best glossed over in
schools, and support for recognition of this is growing.

Even the national broadcasters network Triple
J held a survey to gauge where its listeners stood on moving
the Hottest 100 from January 26. Powers film is part of this
movement, suggesting that the disturbance of white Australias past
is now so palpable that it can no longer be ignored. We are haunted
by an unacknowledged past, which is why the post-colonial narrative
of the sinister outback is so simple, yet so haunting.

Europeans...

12:57

Channel 9 News reported on the
sentence hearing of Alexander Villaluna yesterday. He pleaded
guilty to murder and grievous bodily harm after he attacked Keith
Collins and Jovi Pilapil with a hunting knife. Collins was killed
in the attack and Pilapil was stabbed in the chest and arm.

The quote in Channel 9s headline was from Villalunas statement
to the court for his sentencing hearing. Its an accurate quote and
it probably does reflect his view of his crime.

But why is the media affirming a violent, controlling murderers
view of the crime he committed? This is not an impartial or
objective headline. Its an endorsement of a murderers
self-justification for taking an innocent life. Murder is the
ultimate violation and it has nothing to do with love.

Love is Keith Collins broken hearted children who had to
identify his body, mourn his unjustifiable loss and carry on their
lives knowing he should have been there to watch them get married,
have children and share all their joys and sorrows. He was only 53,
he should have had decades to experience love.

Promoting a murderers delusions of love is an unconscionable act
in the face of the grief Keith Collins family are carrying. And it
callously disregards the horror Jovi Piapil has to live with after
being brutally stabbed and having to watch a man die on what should
have been nothing more than a fun first date.

Its also worth mentioning that no references to sources of
assistance were listed at the end of an article about domestic
violence, despite the strong recommendation in the press council guidelines on
reporting domestic violence cases.

FixedIt is an ongoing project to push back against
the medias constant erasure of violent men and blaming of innocent
victims. If you would like to help fund it even $5 a month makes a
big difference please consider becoming a Patron

12:45

12:30

[BannedInfo]
We all warn our children to never open the front door for
strangers, especially when they are home alone.

Its a scary, but true, fact that danger often shows up right at
our front door. One adult decided to follow the same rule for
herself that she had set for her children. Melissa Vang made the
decision to not open her front door when she checked to see who was
ringing the doorbell and didnt recognize the young man who was
standing there.

There are tons of stories that support Vangs apprehension of
opening the front door for strangers. Unfortunately, not everyone
has good intentions when they come knocking on strangers doors.
This was not the case for Vang.

When Vang heard someone knocking on her front door she was home
with her two young children. She decided against opening it. The
security camera at her front door would capture footage of whoever
was knocking, so she knew she could just check the footage after
the stranger left. What she saw on the security footage was not
what she expected at all.

She was touched to see that the stranger knocking on her door
was a teenage boy who definitely wasnt trying to start any trouble.
The young man, Tyler Opdyke, was actually doing the right thing,
which is unusual in this day and age. His integrity showed through
in that security camera footage. He actually looked for a camera on
the exterior of the home and seemed relieved when he spotted
one.

Opdyke was seen waving something at the camera, which was
actually something that Vang was very happy to see. Vangs husband
had lost his wallet on the driveway while getting into his car, and
Opdyke had picked it up. He showed the money in the wallet to the
camera and turned the wallet so the entire thing could be seen. He
then left the camera at the door for the homeowner to find.

You can see the footage below:

The young man was in Vangs neighborhood to pass out flyers to
promote his uncles pest control business. When he spotted the
wallet with $1,500 cash in it along with numerous credit cards, he
knew he had to do something. Vangs husband had so much cash in his
wallet because he had been collecting cash for an event.

Opdyke explained that he had heard the children inside the home,
but when no one answered he decided to show the wallet to the
camera to let the homeowner know the real reason why he was
knocking. He then placed it on the door mat. When interviewed by
KXTV Opdyke explained, Ive been raised in the
Church all my life and I just felt this is not
mine.

Vang actually tracked Opdyke down in order to reward
him for his kind....

"I was raised about a mile
from that prison complex in Bayamon, so I know that my former
neighbors are on edge. Our criminals are some of the boldest I
know. Sadly it's only going to get worse, as people's bellies start
to really ache, LEO's reach their limits, looters get bolder and
there is less of the good stuff to loot from stores. Guess what;
down there, generators are a big "come rob me" beacon shouting out
to a half mile radius. Shit's getting real, and there's little
respect for the rule of law or private property, and private
firearm ownership is rare. You have to have a permit to possess,
and another one to carry, and they're both subject to the whims of
the approving authorities. This is where that laid back, care-free
Caribbean attitude stops being cute. The island has a history of
recorded hurricanes since the 1800's and it's still always a last
minute panic. My uncle installs storm shutters down there for a
living and was working until 11pm the night before the storm hit. I
got good status back from most of my family except for my uncle,
but this is only the beginning. God help them because only he can
change the heart of those who would do harm."

10:47

On July 20th, 2017, a young Pulitzer Prize winning journalist,
Joseph Rago, died suddenly in his New York apartment at the age of
34.

On the 21st, the New York Times reported
that Foul play is not suspected, but several alt-news sites
suspected that he was silenced, because he was was about to expose
something on big pharma and insurance.

09:17

Friday on The Robert Scott Bell
Show:

Freshman Friday is
Back!

Captain rode out the hurricane, but she and her
shipmates everyone else in Florida might be suffering from adrenal
failure. What does that mean? What are the adrenals?
How are the connected to stress, and once they are pooped out, what
is the remedy? Also, what type of stress is part of the
normal human condition, and what part do we need to cut out?

Doc Nuzum Is Here!

Prized since ancient times, confirmed by modern research, bone
broth is one of natures most powerful health solutions. What is
bone broth and why is it something you should add to your daily
regimen? Doc Nuzum will explain! You can download
a free 78-page Bone Broth Breakthrough
e-book at RSBReports.com Youll discover the
purest, healthiest and most convenient way to consume bone broth on
the p...

08:44

A wayward cat found just the person to get him the help he
needed (and he wasn't about to take "no" for an answer).

Officer Rick Butler, of Ohio's Oxford
Police, had been out on patrol early Friday morning when he
happened upon the random feline by no choice of his own. While the
officer was stopping to check on a local church, the brazen orange
cat reportedly leapt through the cruiser's open window. He then
proceeded to demand attention and pets.

Credit: City of Oxford, Ohio - Division of Police

Butler, of course, was happy to oblige.

Credit: City of Oxford, Ohio - Division of Police

Butler might have thought it would be just a momentary encounter,
but the cat evidently had something else in mind. Rather than slink
away, having had his fill of the officer's affection, the kitty
then staged a sit-in.

"[He's] super friendly and loving and now refusing to leave the
police car!" the department reported.

Was the cat being stubborn? Maybe. Did it pay off? Yes, yes it
did.

Credit: City of Oxford, Ohio - Division of Police

Thoroughly disarmed by the charming cat, Butler didn't have
the heart to turn the little guy away so he let him stay. The
police station doesn't have facilities to house cats, so as the
department announced online, Butler has decided to become
his foster dad, at least until the cat's rightful owner is found or
someone comes forward wanting to adopt him. (The cat, "not the
officer," the police department was q...

08:36

An ancient proverb states that cats have nine lives, and that
has never been more true than for Nutmeg.

The grumpy tabby who held the title for worlds oldest cat lived her life to the fullest
until she passed in September at the age of 32 or 144 in cat
years.

Now a new upstart in Werribee, Australia, could be the next feline
to hold the title. At 26 years old, Teddy is Australias oldest
living cat, and his owner, Fran English, is applying to the
Guinness Book of World Records to make it official.

English adopted Teddy in 2014 when his elderly owner could no
longer care for him, and was shocked when Teddys microchip revealed
that he was born in 1991.

The long-haired black cat is in surprisingly good shape for his
advanced age, still finding plenty of time each day to prowl around
Englishs garden and play in the sun.

Teddy has a rather unusual secret to his longevity, English notes
on his Facebook page. Each day he eats a sprig of rosemary from the
garden and then gets nice and clean in the shower.

"He used to try and get in the shower with me so
I decided to let him get in one day and it just took off from
there," Fran told Yahoo News. Teddys fascination with water has
only increased over the years. Now he goes into the shower and
waits for it to be turned on, and after his rinse, gets toweled off
by his doting mom.

Diagnosed with arthritis earlier this summer, he now takes medicine
daily to keep him comfortable and active, along with his normal
diet of canned tuna and kangaroo meat. His mom even built him
a ramp up to the bed.

But despite a few gray hairs, hes still friendly and outgoing.
Teddy loves to go out for a wander according to his moms
Facebook posts, gnawing on herbs and drinking from his own little
fountain outside. The average life expectancy for an indoor cat is
between 12 to 18 years old, while cats...

07:46

With roughly 1.5 million Floridians initially without
electricity from the damage inflicted on Floridas energy
infrastructure, many in the Sunshine State are now questioning why
its so difficult for people to utilize solar energy. The simple
answer is that one of the major electrical suppliers in the state
Florida Power and Light (FPL) []

07:30

Political systems decide what and what not to contest on a
partisan basis. Surely Australia can be mature enough to agree on
climate change The word adhockery, I am told, was first used around
1890. But this term, which denotes an over-reliance on temporary
solutions rather than on consistent, long-term plans deserves a
renaissance when it comes to energy policies of the Turnbull
government. Has it really come to this? We are seriously being told
that what we need to do is keep open [...]

07:27

Salon magazine suggested Wednesday that Hillary Clinton just
isn't appealing - even to liberals. Liberal writer Conor Lynch
describes the phenomenon as "the progressive animus towards
Clinton." He notes a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that
shows 53 percent of respondents have a negative or very negative
perception of Hillary, leading to the conclusion that the failed
presidential candidate "seems to be getting even less popular as
the 2016 election recedes further into the past." Clinton ponders
the question of her obtruding unpopularity in her new book, What
Happened, asking "What makes me such a lightning rod for fury? I'm
really asking. I'm at a loss." The answer, Salon suggests, is "that
Clinton was often her own worst enemy in 2016, and frequently
provided her opponents with ammunition to torpedo her campaign."
Lynch says Clinton ultimately failed to address her most stinging
criticism by primary opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders, and was believed
by progressives to be just another Washington insider. The Salon
writer states, "They essentially saw her as a standard Beltway
politician - no better and no worse than other politicians who
court big donors at cocktail parties in Washington and Manhattan
and Beverly Hills."

07:02

The Australian ASX was probably over-sold yesterday and
therefore stood as the only core that performed today. Closing up
+0.5% was a healthy recovery after yesterdays 1% decline. Chinas
downgrade put a small dent in confidence for the cash markets which
took the Hang Seng down
-0.8% while the Shanghai closed with just small loss. Geopolitical
risks remain present after US President Donal Trump signed to
expand measurers to target North Korean trade. the Nikkei although
closed lower (-0.25%) was off of its earlier lows as news of the
speech-plays increased between the two nations. Having seen gold
break the psychological $1300 mark yesterday, today we traded
comfortably below that level all day. The Yen has dipped back below
112 again as talks of possible missile launches were circulating
ahead of the weekend.

A quiet European session with the only action centred around UK
Prime Minister Theresa May conference on BREXIT. GBP did rally
close to the 1.36 level on expectation but that was shot down once
delivered. Most of the evening session played a little over the
1.35 level but next week will be key as we approach month and
quarter ends. FTSE liked what it heard finishing +0.65% better on
the day but again, was probably more a reflection of sterling at
that time. Gold could not breach $1300 and remains heavy even with
the possible geopolitical uncertainties over the next couple of
days. We did see some good economic data from France and a more
broader European PMI which were both better but only tended to
support markets rather than push them better. German elections of
Sunday and it will be interesting to see where the youth decide to
vote. Watch the peripheral groups to see who the coalition fits
with.

Despite the lack of volume the price continues to rally
regardless of all around it. Earlier in the session we had seen a
weaker market which had the potential to run at one stage but the
lack of liquidity, coupled with so few players that the
follow-through just was not there! The enthusiasm for Apple appears
to be weighing on confidence with a 5% price decline this week.
Lots of talk about the slack in the IPhone 8 uptake and also slow
watch turnover but in all the market is at contract highs so why
not! Intere...

06:59

A resident of Adelaide, Australia, recently got a bit of a
surprise when he checked his pet duck's little house where she lays
her eggs.

Credit: FRSA

"He got a surprise when he reached under the super mum and felt
fur!" Fauna Rescue of South Australia (FRSA) wrote
on Facebook. The duck seemed quite protective of
the little squatter: a tiny brushtail possum who lost her mom.
"Little Daisy had been kept warm all night by the duck who had the
orphan tucked under her wing."

Maybe the duck could sense that the little possum, who only weighed
12 ounces, needed help. "All by herself in a big scary world,
little Daisy the possum sought a warm, safe place to hide," FRSA
wrote. "She clearly found the right place when she stumbled across
a nesting box and crawled in with the duck. Rather than chasing the
orphan away, the duck decided to not only accept her, but made
every effort to keep the orphan warm and comfortable."

Credit: FRSA

The man knew, however, that in the long term it would be better to
turn Daisy over to people who knew how to raise orphaned possums,
so he contacted FRSA for help. Daisy will be brought up there until
she can be released back into the wild.

Credit: FRSA

Daisy now has a warm place to sleep and plenty of food at the
rescue center. She even has a new friend. Daisy recently bonded
with a little boy possum about her age who will be her adoptive
sibling as the pair grow up and get stronger.
...

06:51

An advert today describes the real climate change we should
afraid of, discusses how past CO2 levels did not cause dangerous
global warming, and extra CO2 has a smaller and smaller effect,
then connects failed climate models with rising electricity bills.
The text....

06:30

My father is a man of colour; an Indonesian with a
deep complexion, almond eyes and a smile that, teamed with his
bellowed laugh, can light up a whole room. My mothers fair skin
enhances her crystal blue eyes that have watched me navigate the
twisted road towards adulthood.

Being of mixed race in New Zealand meant Ive never
had to struggle for acceptance, and looking predominantly Caucasian
inevitably means I havent had to deal with the issues many people
of colour have, even though I technically should.

White privilege is something were born into and
forced to either acknowledge or deny. You could be one of those
tosser politicians who assure themselves it isnt real while sitting
in a room full of other old white men who are convinced it took
only hard work to get to where they are. Or, you could accept the
privilege and not abuse the fact that sometimes the world really
does revolve around you.

I used to think I was worldly. That I used my
privilege as a reminder to be conscious and grateful for what it
brought me. But a young Indian girl selling handmade bracelets on a
dusty street in Amritsar exposed my hypocrisy with a simple
question: What product did you use to get your skin that
colour?

Little did that girl know, earlier that day, I was
complaining about my paleness. I wished I could lather my body with
the coconut-scented fake tan I had left 10,000 miles away. I wanted
to be darker, to have sun-kissed skin like the girls you see when
scrolling your Instagram feed. The ones who endorse those shitty
teas and wear bikinis that cost more than my weekly wage at Maccas.
I want everyone to compliment my bronzed glow because thats what it
is, right? Bronze, not brown. Bronze is for white people, and brown
brown is something else entirely.

Azealia Banks enters a shit-storm when she admits to using a skin whitening cream, but nobody
gives a fuck if Kylie Jenner lathers on four coats of fake tan
before a night out.

Racism exists. As much as we want to close our eyes
and sing Kumbaya, we cant, because oppression is still
here. People of colour are forced to accept their bodies, whatever
shade they are, while I can pick being ghostly pale to a glazed
doughnut and eve...

05:40

On Wednesday morning, we dropped two banners at the University
of Pittsburgh. They read, From Pitt to Georgia Tech: Disarm the
Police, Arm Your Desire and Solidarity with St. Louis and Atlanta:
Fuck the Police. The first was hung from student dorms, the second
from condemned housing near campus we hope the symbolism is clear.
Later that night, after campus police arrested a student protester
during coordinated disruptions of
a right wing debate on immigration, we linked up with two other
crews to beautify campus with chalk and flyers [just a heads up,
the link is from a right-wing student news site, and its kinda
hilarious]. Another crew from the autonomous student network tells
us they also tagged and wheatpasted the Oakland area on Tuesday
night.

We are deeply saddened and angered by the murder of comrade
Scout Schultz by Georgia Tech campus police. As a small crew of
radical queer youth and accomplices, we recognize that Scout could
have been any one of us. We too struggle daily with and against our
mental health; we take these actions as part of that struggle. We
will continue to answer the calls to fight in Scouts memory
[1, 2, 3, 4], one of which reads:

To anyone who is enraged,
grieving, or who stands against the police and the murderous system
they protect, we call for actions in solidarity with our fight here
in Atlanta. To anyone who is fighting for liberation: in the coming
days, fight with Scouts name on your lips, on your banners, and in
your hearts.

While Heckler & Koch did not respond to an inquiry regarding
why Israel was added to the list, the German economic ministry told
The Jerusalem Post in an email that while they are aware of the
media reports, we dont comment on company trials or decisions.

According to The Guardian, the move makes Heckler & Koch the
first arms company to have a more ethical export control policy
than its own government. Germany, the worlds fifth largest arms
exporter with a total of 6.85 billion euros ($8.22 billion) in
sales last year, is in a two-year pilot phase of a new initiative
to monitor the end use of its arms export.

05:16

AMERICAN DOCTOR DISCOVERS CURE FOR MOST
AILMENTS OF MANKIND! FROM ERASMUS OF AMERICA - SEPT. 22,
2017RELEASED THIS REPORT
THIS MORNING ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2017. People who get this report from
me get my legal permission to set up a business with this food and
health technology. You could set up a local or national food
industry with this for as low as a few hundred dollars. The
Pillsbury Company was started in the home kitchen of a woman who
baked a loaf of bread that she could sell locally. It grew into a
large national company and finally bough out by General Mills. For
maybe as cheap as the woman in this story, you could start a local
business for this Bataan Vegetable Cure Soup made by an American
doctor who observed a strange medical factor on this Bataan March
in 1942 that turned prisoners of war into super examples of health
in some amazing cases and he reported he observed cured many of the
American Prisoners of War of the incurable ailments that they had
had before. When he got back to America, he tried his Bataan
medical observation on many of his patients and soon he reported
many of his medical patients were cured of incurable medical
ailments with this Bataan medical discovery of his. He practiced
medicine in the Bethesda, Maryland area near Wash., D.C. and before
he retired, told me his Bataan secret and gave me his legal consent
to use his discovered Bataan secret to set up a business with or
show others what his discovery was. I added two health discoveries
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you are welcome to use his discovery along with my one or two
health discoveries with natural foods to see how much market you
can get in the health market with this super product you can offer
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milling when it becomes available on the national and world market.
If you cannot use my PayPal buttons, then send in your order by
mail and your mail postmarked by the same dates as
listed....

05:16

Personality is an unbroken series of successful
gestures.- Scott
Fitzgerald

Throughout the generations,
experts have worked to better understand the concept of
personality, where it originates and how it impacts our decisions
in life. Many have developed their own analysis and understanding
of this phenomenon, each building upon the knowledge and expertise
of those who came before them.

Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud was one such expert, focusing a
significant period of his career on the
concept of personality development. He believed that our
personalities were a response to the childhood events that we had
experienced, and created labels for a number of different
personality types that he had identified including oral and anally
retentive.

In the 1970s two research teams led by Paul Costa and Robert R.
McCrae of the National Institutes of Health, and Warren Norman and
Lewis Goldberg of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the
University of Oregon teamed up to discover The Big
Five. This refers to the five dimensions that they believe
describe most human character traits including extroversion,
openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.

In his book
Personality: a Psychological Interpretation, Gordon Willard
Allport defines personality as the dynamic organization
within the individual of those psychophysical systems that
determine his characteristic behavior and
thought.

Todays concept of psychology involves far more terms, theories,
and concepts than ever before. As interest has grown in the general
public about these various labels, the prevalence of trivia and
online tests claiming to provide answers has multiplied, providing
answers to anyone who seeks it. Some of these quizzes are specific,
discussing personality in relation to our career choices, or the
relationships we seek. They are fun and whimsical ways of viewing
an otherwise complicated and in-depth conversation.

Here are some very blunt, very honest descriptions of a number
of the most common personality types, and an inside look at how
others view you:

04:59

It is your omen, only you know the meaning. To me,
it is but another star in the night.

Gerald R. Stanek, The Eighth
House

Signs and omens have played an
incredibly important role throughout history, revered by our
ancestors for their ability to predict the future, warn them about
difficult times to come and guide them through life as they knew
it.

The first written
references to signs and omens date back to approximately the
third millennium B.C. The presence of these messages has been
documented throughout the ancient world, in the historical
documents of the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations, Rome and even
India. Amar Annus,
a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Oriental Institute explains, The
concept of sign is found in all ancient cultures, but was first
described in ancient Mesopotamian texts. This branch of Babylonian
scientific knowledge had great influence, as witnessed by similar
texts written in the Aramaic, Sanskrit and Sogdian, among other
languages.

In a world that has become dark and frightening, plagued with
wars, increased rates of crime and a general disregard for the
well-being of others around us, one has to wonder whether we need
these messages more today than ever. This may be the time that we
need to work to better connect, opening ourselves to these
important messages from the Universe.

What is the difference between a sign and an omen?

The terms sign and omen are often used interchangeably today.
While both are messages from the Universe, each carries its own
purpose in our lives.

Signs appear specifically in our life when we
are requesting that the Universe provide us with guidance or an
answer while attempting to make a significant decision in our
lives. This request isnt necessarily a verbal request; however, it
can come in a deeper and more spiritual way as we allow our soul to
call out for assistance from our spiritual guardians. It will only
come to us when requested, and we will cease to see the sign once
the decision has been made.

An Omen, on the other hand, can appear at any
time without any prior request or search for guidance. These occur
when our spiritual guardians feel the need to reach out to us about
something that is coming. They may be ominous, outlandish,
mysterious, wondrous or bizarre, each individual and different,
however, each carrying an important message that the Universe wants
us to hear. Their purpose is to relay that an important event is
either happening right now or about to happen. These events may be
good or evil in nature, bu...

04:30

Contrary to popular belief among certain YouTubers, Im a social
justice warrior who actually loves free speech. In fact, the main
reason I write is to use my free speech rights to challenge peoples
preconceived notions about gender and sexuality and create
conversations about complex social justice issues. One of my
favorite philosophers, John Stuart Mill, summarizes it best in his
1859 classic essay On Liberty:

But the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an
opinion is that it is robbing the human race, posterity as well as
the existing generation, those who dissent from the opinion still
more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are
deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth; if
wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer
perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its
collision with error.

Of course this opens up a wide variety of questions regarding
free speech in the 21st century: Is it censorship
when a private organization disinvites a controversial
speaker? Would racist slogans like Blood and soil be considered
hate speech that directly leads to violence? Unfortunately, I dont
have the time to answer all these questions right now. I do,
however, want to point out a disturbing trend I see:

Those who advocate for free speech the most vocally tend to be
silent when marginalized people are censored.

04:11

The episode, titled White People Renovating Houses, apparently
drove Amazon Alexa and Google Home totally nuts, leaving many
wondering if creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker did it on purpose.
The likely answer given their history of tackling contemporary
issues is yes.

We have an Amazon Alexa and a Google Home and South Park
repeatedly screwed with both of them tonight, noted one Twitter
user

04:10

[NY
Daily] Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declined to say how
exactly the U.S. might act if North Korea drops a hydrogen bomb in
the Pacific.

We will continue our efforts in the diplomatic arena, but all
our military options are on the table, Tillerson said during a
Friday appearance on Good Morning America. Once we can assess the
nature of this threat, the President will make a decision regarding
the appropriate actions.

The top diplomats remarks came less than an hour after President
Trump heightened the war of words with North Korea.

Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesnt
mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never
before! Trump tweeted.

The North Korean strongman on Thursday night threatened to carry
out another weapons test this time possibly over the Pacific and
called the President mentally deranged. Trump vowed this week to
totally destroy the nation if North Koreas tests continued,
referring to Kim as Rocket Man.

Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously
a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people, will be
tested like never before!

Tillerson, during his GMA appearance, didnt give a direct answer
when asked if Trumps tough talk against the hermetic country
worked.

The President takes the responsibility of the security of the
American people very seriously and it is his first and foremost
responsibility but were not in this alone, he said, noting that
China and Russia have also put pressure on North Korea.

Trump hit Pyongyang with its latest economic blow on Thursday
when he signed an order directed at entities that work with North
Korea.

Our new executive order will cut off sources of revenue that
fund North Koreas efforts to develop the deadliest weapons known to
humankind, Trump said.

...

04:04

Rules banning smoking outside Victoria's public hospitals could
be reviewed because health workers are being attacked and abused
while trying to police the policy. Calls for an audit of the ban
are being led by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation,
which is concerned nurses are being put in danger. "We're hearing
that the policing of the ban actually leads to violence and
aggression against our members," union state secretary Lisa
Fitzpatrick said. The calls come after the death of Melbourne heart
surgeon Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann, who was allegedly punched in
the head in the foyer of Box Hill Hospital after expressing concern
about people smoking near the hospital entrance. Last month two
patient transport officers were reportedly assaulted outside
Dandenong Hospital after refusing a request for a cigarette.

03:54

[BannedInfo]
Who is better qualified to talk about how race has held him back
than an eighty-year old black man from the Deep South, Memphis,
Tennessee? On his way up there were no affirmative action programs
to help him overcome the obstacle of being born Black in
America.

Morgan Freeman was 80 when he was interviewed
on CNN Tonight, two years ago.Host Don Lemon Morgan
asked him, Do you think poverty is part of genetics, to answer
your question?

Freeman answered forthrightly, No, you
cant say that. I dont think wealth, personally, I dont think
wealth and genetics have anything to do with each other,
actually.

Freeman elaborated and his answer mustve had
political race hustlers burying their heads, If youre born in
the U.S., it really doesnt matter the condition of your birth.
What matters is what you inherit from your nurturing, from
your environment, whether or not you are I mean, this is from the
standpoint of having been born with little. Here, you can always
get out of that. Poverty is just

The Academy Award winner wasnt done.

When Lemon asked him, Do you think race plays a part in
wealth distribution?

Freeman didnt hesitate, Today? No.

Lemon persisted, You dont?

And, Freeman remained resolute, No. No, I dont. You and I,
were proof. Why would race have anything to do with it? Put your
mind to what you want to do and go from there.

I was born in Memphis, Tennessee [in 1937],
said Freeman. I had a long haul from where I came from,
to here. But here we are. So proof is in proof of the pudding is in
the eating. Here we sit at the dining table.

Lemon was desperate to protect The Legacy Of Liberalism that
has destroyed the Black family and the schools their children
attend that Freeman had earlier alluded to (What matters is what
you inherit from your nurturing, from your environment.)

Lemon: But its hard to when you say that to people because they
say, Here you go with the pull yourself up by the bootstraps thing.
Youre just being respectable. Not everybody can do that.

Freemans response was abrupt: Bullsh**! Everybody can! Not that
it doesnt [take] courage. Courage is the key to life itself. A lot
of people were born in situations, Ill never get out of this. So
they wont. I say to people who say, We...

03:48

For years, I have been told that my way of
travelling is wrong. Its a habit that I was once ashamed of, but
now, unabashedly own.nf

I am an informed traveller who, like many others,
secretly enjoys the daggy pastime of planning my holidays. We are
the people who research and double check our travel itineraries the
slightly obsessive travellers who are perceived as a little boring
and tedious. It may not be edgy and cool, but you know what? We get
shit done.

Ive been lectured more times than I can count by
supposedly well-travelled people who, with all the knowledge that
their 20-something years can offer, tell me the value of
spontaneity and preach about the evils of planning and knowledge
with no balance to be found.

No one can have fun making lists, they admonish.

I often wonder why I and so many others get such a
bad reputation for being informed. In this age of anxiety, why
torture yourself by not having even the slightest plan or fooling
yourself into thinking that by winging it youre going to find
yourself?

Maybe some people can improvise their way through
their travels, but thats just not my style. This doesnt make my
adventures any less valuable. To be one of those carefree people
who can turn up somewhere and hope for the best would be great, but
not all of us are that lucky. For me, its a definite way to waste
my holiday and end up a nervous wreck.

I once bowed to the pressure of being more
spontaneous on a trip to Japan. I couldnt let go altogether, so I
made a loose itinerary and vowed only to bring it out if everything
went to shit. My fellow travellers had only come up with a few
things they wanted to do: watch a sumo match, visit a brewery and
eat at high-end restaurants.

As it turned out, everywhere was fully booked for
months, and it wasnt sumo season. With a completely empty
itinerary, they planned to wander the streets of Tokyo. As the
first week progressed, they realised that perhaps they needed to
put a more solid plan in place. This is where me and my list of
adventures came in. At first theyd thought I was crazy, but my
planning meant they saw a lot of Japan, so they indulged me. One
point for neuroticism and zero for their spontaneous adventure.

Not having a clue has even become a trend to impress
people. This spontaneous approach to travelling has been so
romanticised that its become like a photo of an average coffee with
a pretty filter. After...

03:36

President Donald Trump gave a bellicose, threatening speech to
the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) September 19, 2017. In
addition to harsh attacks on North Korea and Iran, Trump singled
out Venezuela and Cuba, reading a host of cliched lies and
traditional US government boilerplate from his teleprompter,
delivered to a notably muted response from the assembled
delegations.

Trumps address was a shameless display of demagogy that had the
political aim of winning allies, especially in Latin America, for a
campaign to isolate Venezuela and Cuba, and create the political
conditions to implement regime change against both sovereign
countries.

It is more likely that Trump, his Administration, and the US
government as a whole, will be found politically isolated. The
evening prior to his UNGA speech, Trump gave remarks before a
dinner with some Latin American heads of state and diplomats. There
he tested out his rhetoric, shameless hyperbole and half-truths,
and threats against Venezuela. It remains to be seen how many of
the conservative and neoliberal governments that Trump is courting
in Latin America will be comfortable aligning themselves with the
Trump Administration against Venezuela and Cuba.

Also, crucially for US policymakers, there is the overwhelming
popular consciousness across the Americas and internationally
against these US policies. It should also be clear to Trump and
Washington that inside the United States there will also be great
opposition and resistance to these policies.

On November 1, the UN General Assembly will again register the
stunning isolation of US anti-Cuba policies when it votes
overwhelmingly in favor of the Necessity of Ending the Economic,
Commercial, and Financial Embargo by the United States of America
Against Cuba. Trump will certainly instruct US Ambassador to the UN
Nikki Haley to vote No this year, reversing the 2016 decision of
the Barack Obama Administration to abstain. For years the annual UN
vote has been a major political embarrassment for various
bipartisan US Administrations and Congresses, with lopsided,
near-unanimous support for the Cuban government-sponsored
Resolution at the General Assembly vote.

Trumps lies and threats from the podium of the United Nations
must be answered in the United States, across the Americas, and
around the world by protests that are being organized on or around
the time of the November 1 vote.

Join worldwide demonstrations in cities around the world to
finally bring down the US blockade against Cuba!

DeVos at the time mentioned the need for due process for the
accused and better treatment of accusers, since all sides agree
even the Obama-era guidance did not solve all the problems.
(Supporters of the Obama-era guidance went apoplectic after DeVoss
speech, however, claiming she was siding with rapists over victims,
an absurd notion.)

In place of the Obama-era guidance, known ominously as the 2011
Dear Colleague letter, as well as a 2014 question-and-answer
document, schools will now have
to adhere to 2001 and 2006 guidance from the Education
Department.

A Deprivation of Rights

In her letter rescinding the previous guidance, Acting Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights Candice Jackson wrote of the problems
caused by the Obama-era guidance. The 2011 guidance forced schools
to adopt a low, preponderance of evidence standard for adjudicating
sexual assault, when schools had previously been allowed to use the
more stringent clear and convincing standard. To avoid federal
lawsuits or yanked funds, schools were required to adopt the lower
standard, even though such regulatory changes were required by law
to go through a notice and comment period and the 2011 document did
not.

Jackson also lamented the old guidances insistence that accusers
have the right to appeal decisions, effectively undermining double
jeopardy. Schools were also discouraged from allowing parties to
cross-examine each other, claiming such a tool of due process could
violate Title IX, the anti-discrimination statute from which all
these rules sprung.

Schools were also required, under Obama-era guidance, to create
quasi-judicial proceedings (stacked against the accused both in
requirements and culture) and forbade them from relying on law
enforcement to investigate. Schools also had to investigate and
adjudicate in a short amount of time, and stated that any due
process protections must not unnecessarily delay the
proceedings.

The 2011 and 2014 guidance documents may have been
well-intentioned, but those documents have led to the deprivation
of rights for many studentsboth accused students denied fair
process and victims deni...

03:30

I trudged up the stairs to my house, listless and
exhausted after nine hours in my cubicle. After a half-hearted
hello to my father sitting in the living room, I noticed it: a
cardboard-wrapped beacon of hope. My beautiful new Lonely Planet
had arrived, clean and fresh and full of promise.

In a few months time, I would be embarking on my
first solo trip: four weeks in Europe to help soothe the ache of a
20-something who was disenchanted with the working world. I
wanted this trip to provide more than a comprehensive
knowledge of markets in Provence I needed this trip to
reset the optimism and energy I had lost since joining the
workforce. More than anything, I longed for freedom.

The weight of my expectations was immense, and I
could feel it permeate my planning. My search for the perfect
Airbnb had taken on a slightly manic edge. Which of these
Parisian apartments will best facilitate my personal growth? Does a
view of the Eiffel Tower expedite self-discovery?

In the midst of my madness, I chanced upon a new
perspective on the pursuit of freedom in Kyo Maclears Birds Art
Life Death. Referencing Geoff Dyer, Maclear writes: Now I know
that the truth about freedom is that its a practice and not a
permanent condition. It actually takes a daily effort to be free
Freedom is not a great leap or a definitive jailbreak or the result
of a moments decisive action, but a project to be constantly
renewed.

Jean-Paul Sartre echoes this sentiment, advocating a
form of existentialism based on the idea that all people are free
to create themselves through their actions essentially empowering
you to play an active role in choosing the person you want to be
and the life you lead by the decisions you make. In this way, he
suggests that it is possible to be authentic and free, but this can
only be achieved through consistent effort.

For the most part, freedom is not something you
consider to be a process or something that requires continued
work. For most people, the image of freedom is big, bold and
fearsome: marching into your boss office and quitting your job or
buying that one-way plane ticket to a faraway destination. But
perhaps we have the measure of freedom all wrong. Maybe freedom
lives in the many small decisions we make each day.

Freedom happens when you decide you dont need that
luxury hotel and the luxury loan to match. Freedom happens when you
resist the temptation to slide from one unfulfilling job into
another because its safe and comfortable and sounds go...

03:22

03:12

Gabonews
September 19, 2017
On Monday 18 September in Libreville, an ivory trafficker from
Mayumba was
arrested by the judicial police and the Eaux et For?ts with the
support of
the NGO Conservation Justice.

The transaction was to be held in a hotel in the Montagne Sainte
district.

Thanks to extensive investigations, the mixed team was able to
foil the
ivory trafficking and the organizer was arrested. Samba Camara, the
brains
of the operation, was arrested in flagrante delicto for the
detention,
transport, and marketing of the products of an integrally
protected
species, 4 tusks of elephant ivory totaling 27 kg.

The offender, originally from Mayumba, from where the ivory
would also
come, would not be at his first facts in terms of trafficking and
will have
to answer that in court.

He faces six months in prison. In neighboring countries,
sentences are
heavier, with 5 years in prison in Congo and 3 in Cameroon. Under
these
conditions, the traffickers would logically favor Gabon. Recent
articles in
the English newspapers The Mirror and Independent mention that
ivory
originally from Gabon finances terrorist activities, including Boko
Haram,
in other countries. These facts have been confirmed by the National
Agency
of National Parks.[These latter reports are unfounded no evidence
at all. KS]

As ivory traffic generates significant financial benefits and
flows, it can
be understood that it may be of interest and linked to other types
of
crime. The links between ivory trafficking and security issues are
numerous
and have been highlighted in many countries.

03:04

Have you ever stopped to think about life from a perspective
other than your own? Do you ever slow down and notice all the small
things that make this world worth living in?

We spend our whole lives searching for something or someone to
make us happy but is that what we really need? As human beings, I
have noticed we are all addicted to
something whether it is soda, junk food, alcohol, or anything else.
We all have a crutch of some kind.

Why is this? Why do we allow ourselves to remain addicted to
these things that are doing nothing good for us? What are we trying
to cure ourselves of? What are we trying to hide?

As children, we seek gratification in all that we do but why?
Why cant we just be happy? Is there no cure for the things that
bring us down? Can we not work through our boredom, depression,
anxiety and so forth?

Why do we experience all of these negative things in life? Why
is it some people do and some people dont? Why are there so many
questions that go unanswered?

I learned at a young age that feeling happy comes at the most
unexpected times. In my opinion, the cure for all that makes us
sick or brings us down is quite simple. Getting rid of all of these
addictions and being in nature, and finally allowing our stress to
drain away. While to most this will seem unrealistic or even
stupid, it has worked wonders for me.

You see, we only fall into a routine of damage if we do not
allow ourselves time to be disconnected when we can. Our
dependencies and addictions are preventing us from overcoming
things like
anxiety and so forth. Addiction only feeds into the
instability.

While my answers may seem a bit too open, maybe they helped you
to see things a bit more clearly. Personal growth is important and
overmedicating is not the answer. For more on this check out the
videos below. If anything maybe they will help you to see things
from a different perspective.

02:44

The issue of when a global reserve currency begins or ends is
not an exact science. There are no press releases announcing it,
and neither are there big international conferences that end with
the signing of treaties and a photo shoot. Nevertheless we can say
with confidence that the reign of every world reserve currency has
to come to an end at some point in time. During a changeover from
one global currency to another, gold (and to a lesser extent
silver) has always played a decisive role. Central banks and
governments have long been aware that the dollar has a sell-by date
as a reserve currency. But it has taken until now for the subject
to be discussed openly. The fact that the issue has been on the
radar of a powerful bank like JP Morgan for at least five years,
should give one pause. Questions regarding the global reserve
currency are not exactly discussed on CNBC every day. Most
mainstream economists avoid the topic like the plague. The issue is
too politically charged. However, that doesn't make it any less
important for investors to look for answers. On the contrary. The
following questions need to be asked: What indications are there
that the world is turning its back on the US dollar? And what are
the clues that gold's role could be strengthened in a new system?
The mechanism underlying today's "dollar standard" is widely known
and the term "petrodollar" describes it well. This system is based
on an informal agreement the US and Saudi Arabia arrived at in the
mid-1970s. The result of this deal: Oil, and consequently all other
important commodities, is traded in US dollars - and only in US
dollars. Oil producers then "recycle" these "petrodollars" into US
treasuries. This circular flow of dollars has enabled the US to
pile up a towering mountain of debt of nearly $20 trillion -
without having to worry about its own financial stability. At
least, until now.

02:30

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy begins with two
parallel scenarios: In the first, a man named Arthur Dent wakes up
in his rural English home only to find that a bulldozer outside is
about to demolish his house in order to build a highway bypass
through it.

After deciding to lay in front of the bulldozer to prevent his
home from being destroyed, his conversation with the bulldozer
driver goes like this:

"Come off it, Mr. Dent," [the driver] said, "you can't win,
you know. You can't lie in front of the bulldozer indefinitely
[...] I'm afraid you're going to have to accept it. This bypass has
got to be built and it's going to be built!"

"First I've heard of it," said Arthur, "why's it got to
be built?"

"What do you mean, why's it got to be built?" he said. "It's
a bypass. You've got to build bypasses."

Protetnic Vogon Jeltz of the Galactic Hyperspace Planning
Council explains:

As you are probably aware, plans for the development of the
outlying regions of the galaxy invoke the building of a hyperspace
express route through your star system. And your planet is one of
those scheduled for demolition.

(Shouts of terror emit around the globe.)

There's no point acting all surprised about it; the plans
and demolition orders have been on display at your local planning
department in Alpha Centauri for fifty of your earth years. If you
can't be bothered to take an interest in local affairs, that's your
own lookout.

There are some important Strong Towns issues explored here in
just the first few pages of the book. First, how many people
throughout history have been told "We need to bulldoze your
house to build a highway"? And, when they ask why, are provided
with little more answer than Arthur Dent receives: "It's a highway.
You've got to build highways." Take a look
at.........

01:53

The Dediscovery of HIV: The Australian scientists who almost
destroyed the AIDS paradigm and may have inadvertently found the
key to the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome epidemic. Charles Ortleb, the
author of Truth to Power, discusses the arguments of the
Perth Group, the Australian scientists who have been under
attack from the AIDS establishment for many years for
insisting that HIV was never properly isolated ...

01:33

In those tapes Nolen answers questions in a very matter-of-fact way
with seemingly little emotion. He told the investigators he
beheaded Hufford because he felt oppressed as a Muslim. Nolen
carefully explained his interpretation of the Quran and said no one
guided him in the religion and that he came his beliefs on his own.
[]

01:30

I was leaning against a boulder on Uluwatu beach,
watching disco lights and reggae music dance across hanging
vegetation and out over the waves. Suddenly a hobbling little
goblin of a man crawled out of the shadows.

Hey mate, I said. How ya feelin?

Aw Ben, he said in his thickly Australian accent. Is
that you?

And it was fucking Sammy.

Aw shit dude, I just threw up, he said cheerily.

Wow, really? Great.

Bri did too.

What? Bri?

I followed him back to the spot Id left not two
minutes ago. Sammy was stumbling a bit but Bri was twirling on her
heels, not sure which way was down.

Were goin back to the hotel mate! Sammy said, trying
to support Bri by the arm on top of his intoxicated sways. Neither
of you are going anywhere, I said, then sighed, without me.

A few hours earlier, Sammy and I had checked
into our hotel room, which included aircon and a pool but no
potable water. That left only one thing worth drinking.

Lets hit the bar and get some Bintangs! was Sammys
warcry. We asked around to see if anyone wanted to join and Bri
volunteered. When we finally got ourselves seated and thirsts
satiated, one thing was damned obvious. Sammy and I were both
pining for this neat, dark-haired, longlegged and literary Kiwi
girl. But only one of us was good at conversation and familiar with
booze and parties.

I felt a bit dejected, but I also felt like I didnt
want to compete with someone who was turning out to be one of my
best mates. I decided to hit the beach.

After descending a stupid number of winding,
stonecarved steps down to the sand, I did my usual thing and tried
to find things the average party-goer might miss. I crawled around
rocky boulders, cringed as some lads got uncomfortably close to a
venomous seasnake, flirted around a bit (they all had boyfriends),
and of course, subtly kept tabs on my new besty and erstwhile
bae.

It came time to head back to the boulders and
relieve myself of two or three Bintangs when I was met with my
spiritbrothers beautifully drunken entrance. He and Bri had had
more than just two or t...

01:29

THERESA May has revealed her plans for a two year transition
deal with the EU after Brexit in a landmark speech in Florence.

FLORENCE, Italy Britains
negotiations with the European Union could continue close to its
scheduled March 2019 departure from the bloc, Prime Minister
Theresa May said on Friday.

EU chief negotiator Michel
Barnier has said the two sides need to come to an agreement by
November next year in order to allow time for it to be ratified by
parliaments.

Of course we will leave at
the end of March 2019 and negotiations will be continuing
potentially up quite close to that time, May said during a
question-and-answer session following a speech in Florence setting
out her Brexit plans.

(Reporting by William
James; Writing by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by William
Schomberg)

********************************************

May Says Will Honour EU Budget Commitments During Period
of EU Membership

By REUTERS

SEPT. 22, 2017, 10:54 A.M. E.D.T.

FLORENCE, Italy Prime
Minister Theresa May said on Friday that Britain will honour its
budget commitments made during the period of its EUs membership
during.

I do not want our partners
to fear that they will need to pay more or receive less over the
remainder of the current budget plan as a result of our decision to
leave, May said.

...

...

01:25

The autonomous region of Catalonia has once again
called for a referendum for secession from Spain, and all hell
is breaking loose. Although the vote is still two weeks away, this
week has seen a marked increase in tension and conflict between the
two sides thats quickly reaching a boiling point. The government in
Spain, which calls the planned vote illegal, has frozen Catalonias
access to public funds so that they cant be spent on organizing the
referendum. It is also trying to shut down its access to ballot
boxes, although the Catalan government says it has 6,000 of them
hidden away.

On Wednesday, the Spanish military arrested 14 high ranking
Catalan officials and raided 41 Catalan regional government
departments across the region. They have also raided newspapers to
look for documents having to do with the referendum, following a
judges order. This caused more than 40,000 protesters to take to
the streets of Barcelona on Thursday night, which then provoked the
Spanish government to send troops into the city. Tens of thousands
are gathering again in the city today for more protests.

Demonstrating the severity of the situation, the government in
Madrid had attempted to send 4,000 police officers to the region on
Thursday in police boats which were meant to dock in Catalonia to
deal with the escalating situation, but the boats couldnt dockthe
port workers wouldnt cooperate. They either boycotted or refused
docking access to the ships. The government responded by
hiring ferries to be moored in the Port of Barcelona as
temporary housing for police.

This Isnt The First Time Catalonia Has Sought Independence

Catalonia has long called for independence from Spain. As
recently as 2014, it tried to hold a similar independence
referendum. At that time, the Spanish government pushed back,
calling the vote illegal. That caused Catalan leaders to rebrand
the vote as a participation process to see how much support the
Catalan government had for political independence. Catalan leaders
still faced legal consequences for holding that vote, something
that was presumably meant to scare Catalonia off from holding
another referendum.

That clearly didnt work. This time around, Catalonia is much
more defiant and is not taking no for an answer, which seems to be
part and parcel of the populism thats been sweeping Europe in the
last couple of years. Now, it appears Catalonias boldness could
boil over into the kind of civil unrest that Western Europe hasnt
seen in decades.

According to the...

01:21

The string of abuses laid on citizens of Australia by their
government grows almost week by week. Now, parental rights to raise
children, without interference from the State, is under a new form
of attack. This must be resisted. Schools are bringing doctors on
board, as a permanent feature. Young children will be subjected to
[]

01:18

I did not enjoy writing this article because I usually find
myself rooting for the underdog, whether it is in sports or in
politics. For example, I took great delight that I was able to take
part in the greatest upset in American political history in which
Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. Having been raised in
Denver, I reveled in the fact, that after 17 straight losing
seasons, the Denver Broncos have managed to win three Super Bowls.
Subsequently, when I look at immigration, it is the story of
the down-trodden and how they have made a life for themselves. I
can personally identify with this sentiment, because I am a first
generation American on my fathers side of the family.

Despite my affinity for the underdog, I find myself adopting
pragmatist views towards immigration. First, allow me to say that
many immigrants are my Christian brothers and sisters. And those
that are here, minus the hard-core criminals, should not be
deported because it is a case of too much water under the bridge.
However, there is something that can be done, and should be done,
with regard to future immigration. The numbers simply do not
lie.

The Truthful Answers Are Often the Simplest

Joe Guzzardi is a Californians for Population
Stabilization and Senior Writing Fellow and he developed the
following quiz on immigration:

1) What, for the last three decades, is the average number
of immigrants legally admitted?

2) What is the Diversity Visa, and name at least three
countries whose nationals have received the DV?

3) Approximately how many refugees does the U.S. resettle
annually? Name at least three countries theyve come from.

4) Name the number of times Americans have voted on
immigrant admissions, visa issuance, or refugee
resettlement.

Answers:

1) More than one million, all given life-time work
authorization, a total that continues despite 9/11, the 2008
mortgage meltdown, a...

00:29

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has
confirmed that its representatives yesterday met with the Senate
President Bukola Saraki to discuss issues relating to details of
annual salaries and allowances of lawmakers. In a statement today
by Timothy Adewale SERAP deputy director the organization said
that, While we appreciate the expressed commitment by Saraki to
transparency and accountability of the National Assembly, and the
rare opportunity to dialogue with him, we remain deeply concerned
that the leadership of the Senate has unfortunately not
satisfactorily addressed the damaging allegations byProfessor
Itse...

Friday, 22 September

23:49

Bit of a coup for the Sparkke Change Beverage Company, of which
New Matilda has a financial interest.

Sir Elton John, who embarks tonight on a very unique Australian
tour (hes only performing in regional areas) will be performing in
front of tens of thousands of fans. And a few thousand of those in
Mackay and Cairns will be toasting the performance of one of the
worlds great rock stars with a cool, refreshing can of Say I
Do!

Sir Eltons management company Rocket Man Productions (go
figure!) recently ordered over 6,500 cans of Say I Do, Sparkkes new
white wine bubbles in a can which was launched earlier this year,
and aims to promote marriage equality in Australia.

Sir Elton himself wont be sampling Say I Do! The superstar has
been sober for 17years. But concert-goers will be among the first
in the country to try the first white wine bubbles in a can
Australia has ever seen.

New Matilda readers will among the first as well. You mob have
been big supporters of Sparkke (which I greatly appreciate), and in
particular Say I Do! And on that front, the first batch (from the
crowd sourcing campaign earlier this year) left the warehouse in
Sydney yesterday and today and should be in New Matilda homes by
early next week.

When your Sparkke Say I Do! arrives, wed love to know what you
think about it. So please take a photo of you enjoying it, and post
it social media. You can hashtag it with #sparkkechange,
#equalitybubbles and, of course, #voteyes.

In other Sparkke news, brewer Agi Gajic has just finished the
newest product, a New England Pale Ale. Its a style of beer Agi
became fond of during her trip to the United States earlier this
year.

Its a full strength beer, and its campaign message is. Well let
you know next week.

23:47

Police say that the whereabouts of several hundred homeless
people are unknown and residents of the city are concerned

SALT LAKE CITY (INTELLIHUB) Police say that they do not know
where hundreds of homeless people that used to congregate on
the streets near a local shelter disappeared to following a local
operation.

Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown told the press that he
has checked all of the local encampments along the river banks and
all the parks but is still perplexed how over 200 homeless people
just vanished. Now some locals fear the worst and want answers.

All of this raises questions after a homeless man from Houston
who survived Hurricane Harvey told a reporter that
two local shelters were killing everybody.

Salvation Army and Russian Winds homeless shelter where
they were accepting people were caught killing everybody that was
in there, the man told NBC.

The simple answer is that one of the major electrical suppliers
in the state Florida Power and Light (FPL) has utilized a massive
lobbying campaign, directed at state lawmakers, to create legal
barriers to disallow people from powering their own homes with
solar panels without being subject to power companies.

This is the definition of crony capitalism. Companies lobby
government officials, who then vote in favor of the corporate
position often for a quid pro quo in the form of
financial support for the officials reelection campaign.

Any solar panels erected on a home must be connected to the
local electrical power grid.

So, if you want to build an off the grid home it
is illegal to install solar panels on your home.

Just ask Robert Tarr who, according to WFTV, spent
more than $60,000 for a system of 32 solar panels for his roof. But
even though his house can generate enough electricity to run
indefinitely without being hooked to a power company, legally, he
still has to be connected and pay the Leesburg Electric Department
for power he doesnt even need.

So you can be completely free of the grid? Channel 9s
Jamie Holmes asked.

Yes, Tarr said.

But they make you attach to the grid, Holmes asked.

Yes, Tarr said. I have a problem with it, OK? I think if I want
to be totally independent of them, I should be allowed to be, Tarr
said.

If Tarr were to stop paying his electric bill, reports WFTV, he
said Leesburg would shut off his power. City officials could also
revoke his certificate of occupancy for not being hooked up to the
system.

So, if this family wanted to de...

21:43

This past summer, Hollywood earned its lowest box office revenue
since 2006. More than a dozen films from every major movie
studio bombed hard, to quote film financial analyst Doug Creutz of
Cowen & Co.

Many turn to the rise of Netflix, the role of Rotten Tomatoes
and sequel fatigue, and other themes for answers. But two veteran
Hollywood producers say the lack of family fare is a major factor
behind Hollywoods slump.

Families are way underserved today, says writer Brian Bird. Now
Bird and former Disney executive Mitch Davis are revealing their
aim to create compelling films and TV shows that run counter to
mainstream trends.

Audiences Are Starved For Family Programming

Movie producer Mitch Davis got his start at Walt Disney Studios
in the late 1980s, working behind-the-scenes on Newsies, Dead Poets
Society and other releases now considered iconic.

He wrote and directed The Other Side of Heaven for Disney in
2001, the first film role for young actress Anne Hathaway. She went
on to star in Christopher Nolans Dark Knight trilogy. (Worth
noting: Nolans World War II drama Dunkirk was this past
summers only original, non-franchise hit.)

The movie industry is the most persuasive, pervasive creator of
popular culture on the planet, Davis said in an interview to
support The Stray, his
independent family film opening in theaters October 6. To make
a world-class movie, it costs upwards of 50 to 200 million dollars.
What do those economic forces mean? If youre spending that kind of
money, you have to know you have a legitimate path to recouping it.
The answer to that question becomes the lowest common denominator:
sex and violence.

Brian Bird, executive producer of When Calls the Heart on the
Hallmark Channel, echoed Daviss analysis. Its a race to the bottom
everywhere in the media conversation, except for a few small
networks who are trying desperately to program for a family
audience.

Writer of
successful biopics The Case for Christ and Captive for
Paramount Pictures, Bird recently co-founded Believe Pictures with
Michael Landon, Jr., son of the famed Little House on the
Prairie...

And also noted visiting Longreach Airport on Sunday
10 September was Gulf Coast Aviation Cessna 510 Citation
Mustang bizjet VH-KXM. It arrived from Bankstown and later
departed to Vanrook Station near Normanton.

Meanwhile, over the course of Friday 8 September to
Monday 11 September, several light General Aviation (GA)
aircraft descended on Longreach as the Cessna 182 Association of
Australia held their Spring fly-in to Longreach Airport.

Stop The Horror depicts the agonising death of
Victorian father Greg Sims, as recalled by his daughter Nia.

It is the latest project from award-winning Snowtown
director Justin Kurzel and was released on Thursday by Go Gentle
Australia as part of its campaign to see assisted dying
legalised.

The Victorian parliament will hold a conscience vote
this year on whether to create assisted dying laws for the
terminally ill.

This video is the epitome of fear-mongering. It was directed by
Justin
Kurzel, an Australian filmmaker known for producing horror
movies.
How did the Right-to-Die campaign come up with enough money to hire
him to direct such a video?

Perhaps some influential people put money into it. The Victorian
parliament are holding a vote on whether to create assisted dying
laws? Why is that?

An agenda of dehumanization is unfolding to state the simple
truth. While people in agony who willfully choose to die instead of
continue living in pain should have a right to do so, the
people pushing pro-euthanasia propaganda have another agenda.

People must understand that once euthanasia is legalized,
historically it leads to abuse and horrible corruption involving
the lives of people who cant speak. People end up being euthanized
who didnt want to die, and money is made from it.

If one researches the American Euthanasia Society for example,
and its role in a network of eugenics societies from the US to Nazi
Germany where coercive sterilization was....